 After college, Brown found work in Detroit as a social worker with the Women's Division of the Detroit Police Department. It was here that she developed an interest in politics, and with the support of key public figures in Detroit, she successfully ran and won the Michigan State Senate race. She held the Senate seat for two terms until 1956, and later became the General Counsel for the U.S. Post Office. She retired after this post, ending a successful political and public service career.