James Brown; World War I Vet Was 107

James Edward Brown, one of the oldest surviving veterans of World War I and a pioneering businessman in San Diego’s black community, died Thursday. He was 107.

Brown died in his sleep at his San Diego home, where he had lived since 1920, according to his son, James E. Brown Jr.

Brown was among the oldest surviving veterans of World War I and perhaps the oldest black veteran of the war, his family said.

Born in Pensacola, Fla., on April 28, 1894, Brown was one of 13 children and was the grandson of freed slaves from the West Indies who had immigrated to the United States in the early 1800s, Brown’s son said.

Seeking adventure as a young man, he enlisted in what is now the Coast Guard in 1912. During World War I, he served in the Navy and was stationed in San Diego.

He served as a cook aboard the Langley, the first U.S. aircraft carrier. In the Navy he satisfied his wanderlust, traveling the Pacific, into Europe and to the North Pole, his son said.

After retiring from the Navy in 1936, Brown opened a concession at the Navy commissary, storing groceries for customers as they shopped and delivering packages to their cars. In 1941, he opened Brown’s Grocery, the first black-owned grocery store in San Diego, his son said.

His enterprises also included a restaurant and the city’s first black mortuary, and raising cattle and hogs on a ranch near the U.S.-Mexico border.

With feed scarce during World War II, Brown won contracts in several San Diego neighborhoods to pick up garbage, which he used as food for the livestock.

The effort enabled Brown to help supply meat to people during wartime rationing.

He also kept his love of travel. In 1982, he attended the Brown family reunion in Panama City, Fla., which attracted 1,700 people. Last year, he was among 700 at a family reunion in Chicago.

His wife, Beulah Lee Brown, died in 1985 at the age of 94 after 66 years of marriage.

Brown is survived by four children: Juanita Collier and Gaylord Brown of San Diego; Arlene Thompson of Albany, Calif.; and James E. Brown Jr. of East Point, Ga.

He also leaves 18 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.

Funeral details were pending.