Former Defense Secretary Harold Brown Dies at 91

Former Secretary of Defense Harold Brown at the White House on Jan. 5, 2006. The Rand Corp. said Brown, the defense secretary during the Carter administration, had died on Jan. 4, 2019. He was 91. Ron Edmonds/AP Photo/File

WASHINGTON—Harold Brown, who as defense secretary in the Carter administration championed cutting-edge fighting technology during a tenure that included the failed rescue of hostages in Iran, has died at age 91.

Brown died Friday, Jan. 4, said the Rand Corp., the California-based think tank, which Brown served as a trustee for more than 35 years. His sister, Leila Brennet, said he died at his home in Rancho Santa Fe, California.