Jonathan Arthur Brown

Rye - Jonathan Arthur Brown, 76, of Rye, died on Tuesday, April 27, 2021, at Portsmouth Hospital. Jon was born in Clairton, Pennsylvania, on July 9, 1944, the son of Carroll J. and Elizabeth (Sherrer) Brown. Jon was a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy. He attended Oberlin College in Ohio and received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of New Hampshire. He served in the US Army stationed in Fort Dix, New Jersey. After his discharge from the Army, Jon earned a law degree from Temple University. Jon was a deckhand on an oil tanker in the Mediterranean and was a ranch hand on a cattle ranch in Wyoming between school and the military. Jon's forty years professional career was spent as a public interest attorney in Washington, DC. He was a staff attorney for Ralph Nader's Public Interest Research Group and later for the Essential Information organization. His area of expertise was the regulation of financial institutions. Jon authored numerous research papers and testified before the US Congress and regulatory agencies on discriminatory lending practices of banks and other lending institutions. He lent his expertise to community groups challenging mortgage redlining - the refusal of mortgage lenders to make loans in minority neighborhoods. Jon was also at the forefront of using digital mapping technology to expose mortgage redlining. Jon worked for the passage and enactment of the landmark Home Mortgage Disclosure Act and the Community Reinvestment Act. Jon was an avid runner and hiker. After law school, Jon and his sister, Betsy, hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from California to Canada. Jon is survived by his wife Marcia Carroll of Rye, his sister Elizabeth "Betsy" Brown of Middletown, California, and numerous cousins, nephews, and nieces. A Graveside Service will be held on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, at 11 am at the Central Road Cemetery in Rye. Arrangements are made by the Remick & Gendron Funeral Home-Crematory, Hampton. In place of flowers, donations can be made to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy We will join together for a celebration of Jon’s life this summer when the weather is warmer and people can gather outside.

Jonathan Arthur Brown

July 9, 1944 - April 27, 2021