Marie Van Brittan Brown

Life & Legacy

Marie Van Brittan Brown (October 30, 1922 – February 2, 1999) was an American nurse and inventor best known for co-creating one of the earliest home security systems. Brown lived most of her life in the Jamaica, Queens area of New York City, a community that experienced significant increases in crime during the 1960s. Her profession required her to work long and irregular hours, including nights and weekends. Her husband Albert L. Brown, was an electronics technician and he had inconsistent work schedules. In 1966 they invented an audio-visual home security system ("Home Security System Utilizing Television Surveillance"). That same year they applied for a patent for their security system. It was granted three years later in 1969.