Brown (July 12, 1940 – November 3, 1999)[1] was an American lawyer who was elected as Ohio Attorney General in 1970 and served until leaving office in January 1983.

[citation needed] In 1982, he was defeated in the democratic primary for governor to Richard Celeste.

[citation needed] Brown also successfully sued General Motors in the late 1970s for failing to disclose that automobile manufacturer deployed Chevrolet-built engines into more expensive Oldsmobile brand cars; the settlement included compensation paid to owners of Oldsmobiles who bought new cars from Oldsmobile dealers in 1977 and 1978 equipped with the Chevrolet V8 engines.

Following his term as Ohio Attorney General, Brown joined the law firm now known as Kegler, Brown, Hill & Ritter, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

The firm has endowed a scholarship in his name, the William J.