Nelson Brown, who died last week at the age of 89, will lie in state at the capitol in Hartford, the first to be given that honor since Governor Ella Grasso in 1981. “Nellie” (as he was known around the building) served as Speaker of the House in 1957-58 but remained a presence until recently as a lobbyist on freedom of information issues. A Groton native, he started his career as a broadcaster at WNLC in New London.
