[2] During World War II he sold Cook Islands handicrafts to American Service personnel based across the Pacific, before diversifying into copra and pearl shell.

[1] He was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1958 as one of the indirectly-elected representatives of Rarotonga Island Council.

[3] In November 1963 the Executive Committee was replaced by a new cabinet,[3] with Brown elected the first Leader of Government business, defeating Ngatupuna Matepi by a vote of 11–10.

[4] By virtue of his position, Brown was expected to become the Cook Islands' first Premier when self-government was achieved in 1965.

On 12 May 1965 the legislature voted to reduce the residency requirement to three months (providing the candidate had previously lived in the Cook Islands for at least a year).