12 Facts About Yvonne Brown

Yvonne L Rayford Brown was an American politician and member of the Republican Party from the state of Mississippi.

Yvonne Brown was elected as Mayor of Tchula, serving two terms from 2001 to 2009.

Yvonne Brown was the Republican nominee for Mississippi's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives in the 2006 mid-term elections.

Yvonne Brown's father had been active in the Democratic Party and worked as a local co-ordinator for Jesse Jackson's 1984 presidential campaign.

Yvonne Brown was not well received by local Democrats when he returned to Mississippi and changed parties, becoming a Republican.

Yvonne Brown moved to Tchula in 1995, where she married again to Robert Brown.

Yvonne Brown became involved in politics by being part of a "ministerial duo" with her husband, leading efforts to rehabilitate homes, conduct Bible clubs in back yards, volunteer at a food bank, minister to the elderly, and hold free classes and clinics.

Yvonne Brown used federal funding for water, sewer and street construction and built or improved recreational facilities.

Yvonne Brown served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 2004 and was re-elected mayor in 2005.

Yvonne Brown was unopposed in the Republican primary and faced Democratic incumbent Bennie Thompson in the general election, losing to the longtime congressman by 100,160 votes to 55,672.

Yvonne Brown was diagnosed with cancer in February 2011 and resigned a few months later.

Yvonne Brown was survived by her mother, her sisters LaVonne "Pye" Rayford Chestang and Gail Rayford Ambeau, and her daughters Nichole and Aliya Barnett.