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1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives are
3 saddened to hear of the death of Joseph M. Brown of Chicago,
4 Illinois; and
5 WHEREAS, Joseph Brown was born in Milledgeville, Georgia
6 in 1897; the son of Albert and Laura Brown, Joseph was the
7 fourth of nine children; and
8 WHEREAS, As a youngster, Joseph Brown worked as a
9 shoeshine boy in a barber shop, where he made the decision to
10 become a barber; upon graduation from high school, Joseph
11 left Milledgeville and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he
12 successfully passed the board and became a licensed barber;
13 soon after he married his high school sweetheart and moved on
14 to Chicago, where he continued in the barbering field; and
15 WHEREAS, Joseph Brown was successful in the barbering
16 business; he was accomplished at straightening men's hair,
17 and specialized in women's products and facials; the first
18 black world heavyweight champion in boxing, the late Jack
19 Johnson, was a frequent early customer in the barbershop; Mr.
20 Brown also was noted for being the personal barber of boxer
21 Joe Louis, and would travel with him during his fights; and
22 WHEREAS, Joseph Brown remarried in 1940, and together he
23 and his new wife, Mattie, operated Clarence's Famous
24 Hamburgers, which they successfully built into an institution
25 with umbrella tables and intercoms beside the tables; Joseph
26 and Mattie traveled around the world during their vacation
27 time, until Mattie's death in 1968; and
28 WHEREAS, In 1970, Joseph Brown married Mabel Johnson, an
29 attorney; he continued in the restaurant business until his
30 retirement in 1972; and
31 WHEREAS, Joseph Brown is survived by his sister, Julia;
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1 his loving nieces, Antoinette Flint and Betty Carter; his
2 nephew William Gibson; and many relatives and friends;
3 therefore, be it
4 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
5 NINETIETH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
6 mourn with the family of Joseph M. Brown in their time of
7 loss; and be it further
8 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
9 presented to the family of Joseph M. Brown.
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