Lyons Brown Jr.

{{Short description|American diplomat (1936–2024)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

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| order = United States Ambassador to Austria

| president = George W. Bush

| term_start = November 5, 2001

| term_end = October 5, 2005

| predecessor = Kathryn Walt Hall

| successor = Susan McCaw

| birth_name = William Lee Lyons Brown Jr.

| birth_date = {{birth date|1936|08|02}}

| birth_place = Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|06|09|1936|08|02}}

| party =

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| alma_mater = University of Virginia
Arizona State University

}}

William Lee Lyons Brown Jr. (August 2, 1936 – June 9, 2024) was an American diplomat who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Austria. He was also the CEO and Honorary Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Chair of the World Monuments Fund.{{cite web |title=The Honorable W. L. Lyons Brown, Jr., Elected an Honorary Trustee at The Metropolitan Museum of Art |url=http://www.metmuseum.org/press/news/2010/the-honorable-w-l-lyons-brown-jr-elected-an-honorary-trustee-at-the-metropolitan-museum-of-art |website=The Metropolitan Museum of Art |accessdate=11 November 2019}}{{Cite web |title=The Honorable W. L. Lyons Brown, Jr., Elected an Honorary Trustee at The Metropolitan Museum of Art - The Metropolitan Museum of Art |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/press/news/2010/the-honorable-w-l-lyons-brown-jr-elected-an-honorary-trustee-at-the-metropolitan-museum-of-art |access-date=2023-07-10 |website=www.metmuseum.org}}

Brown was born in Louisville, Kentucky. A graduate of the University of Virginia and the American Graduate School of International Management (now called Thunderbird School of Global Management), he was the president, chairman, CEO, and a director of the Brown-Forman Corporation, founded by his great-grandfather. He served on the President's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations as an appointee under three Presidents: Ronald Reagan (1988), George H.W. Bush (1990 and 1992) and Bill Clinton (1994).{{cite web |title=Lyons Brown, Jr. |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/outofdate/bios/b/6832.htm |website=US Department of State, Archive |accessdate=11 November 2019}}

Brown was made a Chevalier de L'Ordre du Merite Agricole by the French government in 1974. He died on June 9, 2024, at the age of 87.{{cite web|url=https://eu.courier-journal.com/story/life/food/spirits/bourbon/2024/06/11/former-ceo-of-brown-forman-corp-w-l-lyons-brown-jr-dies-at-87/74063785007/|title=Former CEO of Brown-Forman Corp., W.L. Lyons Brown Jr., dies at 87|work=Courier Journal|first=Kathryn|last=Gregory|date=11 June 2024|access-date=11 June 2024}}