13 things about Buffalo, New York’s 62nd mayor Byron Brown

Byron William Brown II is the first African-American mayor of Buffalo, New York, United States. The city is home to the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League and the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League.

BIOGRAPHY

Brown is a politician born and raised in Queens, New York. After graduating from August Martin High School in South Jamaica, Queens, he entered Buffalo State College in Buffalo.

Byron and his sister Andrea Brown were the first generation in their family to attend college. Their grandparents are from the British overseas territory Montserrat and their parents Byron Lester Brown and Clarice Lillian Kirnon Brown got married on October 26, 1957.

At August Martin High School, Byron II played trumpet in the high school band. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. In 1983, he graduated from Buffalo State College with a bachelor’s degree in political science.
2. In 1991, he received the Martin Luther King Jr. Award for community service from the Buffalo chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
3. In 1992, he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention from the New York’s 33rd congressional district. 
4. In 1993, he was invited to attend the inauguration of 42nd U.S. president Bill Clinton.
5. In 1995, he joined the Democratic Party.
6. From January 1, 1996 to January 1, 2001, he was a member of the Buffalo Common Council from the Masten district.
7. From January 1, 2001 to January 8, 2003, he was a member of the New York York Senate from the 57th district.
8. From January 8, 2003 to December 31, 2005, he was a member of the New York Senate from the 60th district.
9. His mother died in 2006 and his father died in 2021.
10. From January 1, 2006 to October 15, 2024, he served as the 62nd mayor of Buffalo.
11. In 2016, he appeared in the films “Trial” and “A Mother’s Revenge” as himself.
12. From May 23, 2016 to January 14, 2019, he was the chair of the New York Democratic Party.
13. On September 24, 2024, he turned 66.

TIMELINE

Byron is 5’11” tall. He and his wife Michelle Austin Brown have a son named Byron Brown III.

2023

• In April 2023, the Buffalo Sewer Authority hired his son Byron III as a press information officer at an annual salary of $62,665, which increased to $67,000 per year in August 2023.

2024

• On September 30, 2024, he announced his intention to resign from office as the mayor of Buffalo to accept a job as president and chief executive officer of Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation (WROTB) in Batavia, New York.
• On October 12, 2024, he declared October 12 Dolores Lorraine Clemons Day in Buffalo.
• On October 24, 2024, the WROTB board of directors approved his hiring as the president and CEO with a base salary of $295,000 per year.