Robert J. Brown Interview, March 14, 2025

Bob Brown discusses how he transitioned from Montana State politics to work at the O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in the mid-2000s. Brown explains how he first got involved in politics and ran for office after the Kent State shootings in 1970. After spending over 20 years in the state legislature and as Montana’s secretary of state, Brown was invited to work at the O’Connor Center as a Senior Fellow. Brown describes the time he spent at the Center teaching classes, interviewing Montanan politicians, and organizing a five-part seminar series on the 1972 Montana State Constitution. He then details his transition from the O’Connor Center to the Mansfield Center. Brown reminisces about his experience teaching students as part of a foreign exchange program at Nankai University in Tianjin, China. Throughout the interview, Bob Brown describes his relationships with previous members of the O’Connor Center, details his experiences campaigning for public office, and shares his thoughts on the modern Republican Party.