(New York—March 9, 2010) The Honorable William Lee Lyons Brown, Jr., former Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Austria, has been elected an Honorary Trustee of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, it was announced today by James R. Houghton, the Museum's Chairman. The election took place at the March 9 meeting of the Board.
"Ambassador Brown's interest in art, history, and education is deep and abiding, both in the United State and abroad," commented Mr. Houghton. "Over the last two decades, as he and Mrs. Brown have become increasingly involved in the activities of the Metropolitan Museum, he has generously shared with us his wide-ranging experience and expertise through participation in committees and the Chairman's Council. He was elected a Fellow for Life in 2007, and now it gives me great pleasure to welcome him as an Honorary Trustee."
Thomas P. Campbell, Director of the Metropolitan Museum, stated: "We are extremely grateful to Ambassador and Mrs. Brown for their generous support of recent renovations in The American Wing and look forward to continuing to work with them on other equally important projects in the future."
Ambassador Brown is active in cultural and educational causes, having served in various capacities on committees and boards for the American Austrian Foundation, Thomas Jefferson Foundation (Monticello), National Gallery of Art, Spanish Riding School (Vienna, Austria), J. B. Speed Museum (Louisville), University of Virginia, and Winterthur Museum and Garden. He is the current chairman of the board of trustees of the World Monuments Fund. From 1975 to 1990, he served as honorary consul to France, and is a Chevalier de L'Order du Mérite Agricole, an honor that was confered by the French government.
He has been president, chairman, CEO, and a director of the Brown-Forman Corporation, a consumer products company in Louisville, Kentucky, that was founded by his great-grandfather. He is a former member of the President's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, to which he was appointed by President Reagan (1988) and reappointed by President Bush (1990 and 1992) and President Clinton (1994).
He was educated at the University of Virginia and the American Graduate School of International Management.
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