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Here's a look at the life of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Birthdate: February 20, 1951
Place of birth: Glasgow, Scotland
Birth name: James Gordon Brown
Father: John Brown, minister of the Church of Scotland
Mother: Jessie Elizabeth “Bunty” (Souter) Brown
Marriage: Sarah Macaulay (August 3, 2000-present)
Children: James Fraser, John and Jennifer Jane
Education: University of Edinburgh, MA History, 1972; University of Edinburgh, Ph.D., History, 1982
Religion: Church of Scotland (Presbyterian)
He is blind in his left eye and has lost most of the vision in his right eye, as a result of being kicked in the head during a rugby match when he was a teenager.
His daughter Jennifer Jane died of a brain hemorrhage 10 days after being born prematurely.
1972-1975 – The youngest chancellor of the University of Edinburgh.
1976-1980 – Lecturer/lecturer at Glasgow College of Technology.
1980-1983 – Journalist and current affairs editor for Scottish television.
1983-1984 – Chairman of the Scottish Labor Party.
1983-2005 – Member of Parliament (MP) representing Dunfermline East.
1987-1989 – Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Opposition).
1989-1992 – Shadow Spokesperson (Opposition) for Trade and Industry.
1992-1997 – Britain's shadow chancellor.
1997-2007 – Chancellor of the Exchequer (Treasury), the branch of the British government responsible for raising and managing the government's finances.
2005 – He is elected MP representing Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, towns in the Fife area of Scotland.
2006 – Brown's son, James Fraser, is diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at four months old.
May 11, 2007 – He launches his campaign to become prime minister, “Gordon Brown for Britain.” Tony Blair officially endorses his candidacy.
May 16, 2007 – He receives 313 nominations from Labor MPs, ensuring he will win the leadership.
June 11, 2007 – He makes a surprise visit to Iraq and meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
June 24, 2007 – Blair hands over the leadership of the Labor Party to Brown during a conference of party members in Manchester, England.
June 27, 2007 – He becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
July 29, 2007 – Brown meets with US President George W. Bush at Camp David, his first visit to the United States as prime minister.
February 18, 2008 – Signs legislation nationalizing mortgage bank Northern Rock, the first time since 1984 that the government has rescued a British bank.
April 15, 2008 – He arrives in the United States for a trip that includes a meeting at the United Nations, talks with President Bush on economic/diplomatic ties, and introductions to the remaining presidential candidates.
May 23, 2008 – He meets with the Dalai Lama at the London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. China condemns the meeting, saying: “This interferes in China's internal affairs and also hurts the feelings of the Chinese people.”
December 17, 2008 – Announces that British troops will withdraw from Iraq by June 2009.
March 2, 2009 – He arrives in the United States for a week of meetings, some with US President Barack Obama.
June 2009 – Reorganizes his cabinet after several resignations. He also agrees to hold closed-door hearings on Britain's role in the Iraq war.
February 2010 – A candid interview is broadcast for British television. For the first time, Brown speaks openly about the death of his first daughter, Jennifer Jane, the illness of his son Fraser, and his relationship with Blair.
March 6, 2010 – He visits British troops in Afghanistan and promises them 200 new, more bomb-resistant road patrols.
May 11, 2010 – He resigns as Prime Minister after the Labor Party came second in the parliamentary elections held on 6 May.
July 11, 2011 – The Guardian newspaper publishes allegations that The Sun newspaper, owned by Rupert Murdoch, illegally obtained details about Brown's son and published a story about the boy's illness. Brown responds in a statement saying: “The family is shocked by the level of criminality and the unethical means by which personal data has been obtained. The matter is in the hands of the police.”
July 12, 2011 – The Sun denies illegally obtaining information about Brown's son.
July 12, 2011 – Brown accuses the Murdoch-owned Sunday Times newspaper of having “links to criminals” and alleges the newspaper illegally collected information about his bank account, legal files and taxes.
June 11, 2012 – He appears before the Leveson Inquiry to discuss his personal experiences with The Sun newspaper and Murdoch, his feelings about media rights versus citizens' rights, and problems with various British politicians.
July 2012 – He is appointed United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
December 1, 2014 – Announces he will resign as MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath at the 2015 election.
December 7, 2015 – Investment management firm PIMCO says it hired Brown and four others, including Ben Bernanke and Jean-Claude Trichet, to form a Global Advisory Board.
2017 – The memoir “My life, our times” is published.
January 2019 – The Wall Street Journal reports that Brown will join the advisory board of Partners Group, a private equity firm in Switzerland.
June 10, 2021 – Brown's book “Seven Ways to Change the World” is published.
December 5, 2022 – Labour's Commission on the Future of the UK, chaired by Brown, publishes its report, which calls for radical changes, including the transition of political power from the House of Lords to local authorities.
