Tod Burnett

Brian Bennett

Kelly Fountain    (Sister)

Brian O’Leary Bennett
1955-2025

Brian O’Leary Bennett, beloved son, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend passed away on March 10, 2025, at his home in Palm Springs, California.

He was born on December 5, 1955, in Glendale, Queens, New York to Barbara and Robert Bennett.  He is survived by his mother, two sisters, two brothers and his cherished dog. The family was raised in Merrick, N.Y. and lived on the same street as his sixteen cousins, all with the same last name.  Throughout his life Brian loved the nostalgia of having grown up with all his cousins and the memories they shared.

Brian graduated from Sanford H. Calhoun High School in Merrick, N.Y., received a B.A. in Economics from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and received his Juris Doctorate degree from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, California.

Brian always had a strong interest in politics and after high school he went to D.C. to work as a Legislative Caseworker for U.S. Senator James L. Buckley (R-NY) from 1973 to 1977.  He then began his long career and friendship with Congressman Robert K. Dornan (R-CA-27th C.D.) in 1977, serving as his Legislative Assistant in D.C. for one year then as his Chief Field Deputy in Los Angeles, CA until 1983 when he was appointed by Governor Deukmejian (R-CA) as the Special Assistant to the Director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development.  He didn’t stay there long, returning to Congressman Dornan in 1984 to serve as his Chief of Staff and Campaign Manager for the 38th C.D. in Washington, D.C. and Orange County, CA until 1989.

Throughout his time in Congress, Brian was particularly proud of his work overseas, having traveled to more than 45 different countries on official congressional business and meeting with foreign ministers, presidents, other foreign government officials, ambassadors, opposition party leaders, and business, community, human rights, religious, and resistance leaders. Some of his visits included:

Leading a congressional staff delegation to Vietnam;
Visiting eight of the then-ten U.S. combatant commands around the world and other American military bases;
Serving as an official observer to the 1985 congressional elections in El Salvador;
Accompanying Congressman Dornan to Damascus, Syria for meetings with President Hafez Assad on behalf of American hostages held in Lebanon in 1986;
Examining relief efforts in Ethiopia and drug activities in the Golden Triangle of northern Thailand; and
Twice visiting Vietnamese an Cambodian refugee camps resistance military bases along the Thai-Cambodian border.

After working in government and politics for over 12 years, Brian joined Edison International (EIX) and Southern California Edison (SCE) from 1989 to 2003 where he served as Vice President & Director of SCE Strategic Initiatives, Vice President of EIX and SCE External Affairs & Corporate Communications, Vice President of SCE Corporate Public Affairs, Corporate Manager of SCE Municipal Government Relations, and Director of SCE Government & Community Affairs.  From 2004 until his retirement, Brian was a consultant specializing in energy, communications/crisis management, and political and government affairs.

It was also during this period that Brian was an activist and leader in the Republican Party and later for gay rights.  Brian was a California Delegate to the 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 Republican National Conventions, Delegate to the California State Republican Party (1978-2005), and Member of the California State Republican Party Executive Committee (1999-2005). In 1997, Brian made national news when he officially came out as gay and spent many years advocating for gay rights in the Republican Party.  On April 13, 2000, Brian was a member of the “Austin 12”, the first group of gay and lesbian Republicans ever invited to meet with Governor George W. Bush, the presumptive Republican nominee for president. That year he also was a national co-founder and Vice Chair of the Republican Unity Coalition, a national gay/straight alliance of Republican leaders featuring co-chairs Gerald Ford, David Rockefeller, and John Danforth.

Brian dedicated many years to the gay and lesbian community. He served on the board of directors for Equality California and for the Gay & Lesbian Center of Long Beach and was a member of the Human Rights Campaign.  He won several awards and recognitions for his advocacy, and he was profiled at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival in the documentary Family Fundamentals which was also aired on PBS in 2003 and shown at other film festivals across the nation.  In 2004, the OC Weekly named Brian the “Best Gay Republican” and Out Magazine listed him as 100 of the Most Influential Newsmakers in 1997.

Brian also served the community in other ways.  He was a devout Catholic and defender of unborn children’s rights, and proud member of the California Pro-Life Council and Pro-Life PAC of Orange County.  He served on several community boards including the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, World Affairs Council of Orange County, Orange County Public Affairs Association, and Urban League of Orange County.  He also served as an Orange County Reserve Deputy Sheriff.

Brian was a regular contributor to major publications, authoring op-eds and other pieces for the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register, San Francisco Chronicle, and more. He was also a regular guest speaker at colleges and universities and panels across the nation.

Throughout his life, Brian touched many lives and built deep lasting connections both personally and professionally. His commitment to family, friends, and colleagues kept him special in their eyes and set him apart from the rest. He was selfless and generous and went above and beyond for everyone, especially for those in need. He was always there to help and give his time for the success of others. He had a unique gift of making those he cared about feel important and loved, especially the children of his family and friends. He was a fun uncle, enjoyed good conversation, and loved to travel. Words that were used to describe Brian were intelligent, friendly, thoughtful, passionate, generous, humorous, adventurous, and fun loving.

Brian lived a full and accomplished life, and he will be missed terribly by all who knew and loved him.

The family asks that donations in Brian’s memory be made to the LGBTQ Center Long Beach at www.centerlb.org.

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