By Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 21, 2007; B07
 
 

Daniel Baugh Brewster, 83, a decorated Marine Corps veteran and former Democratic U.S. senator from Maryland whose career was shadowed by alcoholism and a charge of accepting an illegal gratuity, died Aug. 19 of liver cancer at his home in Owings Mills, Md.

In later years, Mr. Brewster was a successful horse and cattle farmer in Glyndon, Md., and was active in public service in the Baltimore area. He also chaired several statewide committees, including the Governor's Commission on Alcoholism under then-Gov. Harry R. Hughes (D) and the Governor's Commission on AIDS under then-Gov. William Donald Schaefer (D). He also was a director and past president of the Maryland State Fair.

U.S. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) worked in Mr. Brewster's Senate office from 1962 to 1966, along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Hoyer called Mr. Brewster "a true gentleman" and a strong supporter of the Democratic Party and its principles.

"He served his country in war and in peace. Although brought low by alcoholism, he overcame that illness to lead a successful and productive life," Hoyer said in a statement.

At 26, as a lawyer and decorated World War II veteran, Mr. Brewster began his foray into politics in the Maryland House of Delegates. He represented Baltimore County from 1950 to 1958 and was vice chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Mr. Brewster was elected to two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and served from 1959 to 1963. He represented the 2nd Congressional District, including Baltimore, Harford and Carroll counties, and served on the House Armed Services committee.

He was Maryland's first Democratic senator in 10 years when he was elected to the 88th Congress in 1962 and at age 39 was one of the youngest senators. He served for one term, from 1963 to 1969.

During his political career, Mr. Brewster supported the programs of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. When Lyndon B. Johnson ran for president in 1964, Mr. Brewster ran as stand-in candidate for Johnson in the Maryland primary against segregationist Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace (D). His interest in running as a favorite son candidate, Mr. Brewster said then, was to block Wallace from gaining by default Maryland's votes at the Democratic convention.

Mr. Brewster won in his race against Wallace but not without a struggle. He co-sponsored the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Mr. Brewster continued to support Johnson's stance on the Vietnam War. While on the Senate Armed Service Committee and as a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve, Mr. Brewster did a tour in Vietnam in 1965.

He lost his bid for reelection in 1968 to Charles McC. Mathias, an old friend who portrayed Mr. Brewster as a mouthpiece for the Johnson administration on Vietnam and accused him of vacillating on issues, including the war, to reflect public opinion.

Mr. Brewster, who saw himself in a battle to save his 18-year political career, countered that his shifts on Vietnam and fiscal policy reflected flexibility, not indecision.

In 1969, Mr. Brewster was indicted on charges of accepting campaign contributions from Spiegel, a mail-order firm based in Chicago, while serving as a member of the Senate Post Office and Civil Service Committee. He had taken a position on pending postal legislation that coincided with Spiegel's. He contended that he had done nothing wrong but was found guilty. The charge was overturned on appeal, and before it could be brought to trial again, he pleaded no contest in 1975 to a felony charge of accepting an illegal gratuity without corrupt intent. He was fined $10,000 and allowed to keep his law license.

Gerry Brewster said his father's alcoholism played a role in his political demise. "He regretted that he wasn't able to control his alcoholism sooner. It was a battle he fought for many years," said Brewster, a former Maryland House delegate and Towson, Md., resident. "He tried to make up for that in public service."

A native of Baltimore County, Mr. Brewster was born Nov. 23, 1923, the eldest of five children. He attended Princeton University until he enlisted as a private in the Marine Corps in 1942. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1943 at 19. He became company commander and ended up as a captain during World War II.

Mr. Brewster served on Guam in 1944 and Okinawa in 1945. He was wounded seven times in three separate engagements, his son said. Mr. Brewster was shot twice during the Battle of Sugar Loaf Hill in Okinawa, with one bullet grazing his head before exiting the back of his helmet. He was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

When Mr. Brewster returned home from the war, he brought some of his fellow veterans, who were African American, to his home, and some people in Baltimore society disapproved, his son recounted. "My father was outraged at that," said Gerry Brewster, who said his father tried to correct the discrimination he saw in society at that time. "His entire career was dedicated to equal rights and equal treatment for all people."

Mr. Brewster attended John Hopkins University in Baltimore before graduating from the University of Maryland's law school in 1949. He began practicing in Towson before entering politics.

His marriages to Carol Leiper Brewster and Anne Bullitt Brewster end in divorce.

Mr. Brewster lived on his farm in Glyndon until about three weeks ago, when he moved to Owings Mills.

In addition to his son from his first marriage, survivors include his wife, Judy Lynn Brewster of Owings Mills; another son from his first marriage, Daniel B. Brewster Jr. of New York; three children from his third marriage, Dana Brewster of Nashville, Danielle Brewster Oster of Glyndon and Jennilie Brewster of Brooklyn, N.Y.; two stepchildren from his third marriage, Kurt Aarsand of Owings Mills and Krista A. Bedford of Glyndon; two brothers, Andre W. Brewster and Walter W. Brewster, both of Glyndon; a sister, Frances Cochran Smith, of Upperco, Md.; and six grandchildren.
 

© 2007 The Washington Post Company