Edward Brooke
Edward William Brooke III (October 26, 1919 – January 3, 2015)[1] was an American politician. He was elected to the United States Senate[2] as a Republican from Massachusetts in 1966. He beat his Democratic rival Endicott Peabody by many votes.
Edward Brooke | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator from Massachusetts | |
| In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Leverett Saltonstall |
| Succeeded by | Paul Tsongas |
| Attorney General of Massachusetts | |
| In office January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1967 | |
| Governor | Endicott Peabody John A. Volpe |
| Preceded by | Edward J. McCormack, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Edward Martin (Acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 26, 1919 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | January 3, 2015 (aged 95) Coral Gables, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Remigia Ferrari-Scacco
(m. 1947–1979)(divorced), Anne Fleming (m. 1979–2015)(his death) |
| Children | Remi (with Remigia) Edwina (with Remigia) Edward (with Anne) |
| Residence | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Alma mater | Howard University Boston University School of Law |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1941–1946 |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Unit | 366th Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
He served for two terms, and lost to Paul Tsongas in the 1978 Senate election. Brooke was the oldest living former Senator since Harry F. Byrd, Jr.'s death on July 30, 2013.[3]
Early life
changeBrooke was born on October 26, 1919 in Washington, D.C. He was raised in Washington, D.C. and Boston, Massachusetts. Brooke studied at Howard University and the Boston University School of Law. He was a United States Army officer in Italy during Wold War II.
Career
changeBrooke was the first African-American politician to be popularly elected to the Senate.[4] He was the only person of African heritage sent to the Senate in the 20th century until Democrat Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois in 1993.[5] Brooke was also the first African-American senator since the Reconstruction Era.[1]
Brooke was the last Republican Senator elected from Massachusetts until Scott Brown was elected in 2010.[5] Brooke was also the oldest living former Republican Senator[3] and oldest living former Senator after the death of Harry F. Byrd, Jr. in July 2013.[3] Byrd was Senator around the same time as Brooke.[5]
Personal life
changeHe married Remigia Ferrari-Scacco in 1947. They had two children. They divorced in 1979. He married Ann Fleming in 1979. Their marriage would last until Brooke's death in 2015. They had one child. He wrote a book about his life, Bridging the Divide: My Life, in 2007. He lived in Coral Gables, Florida.
In September 2002, he was diagnosed with breast cancer. He worked at raising awareness of the disease among men.[6]
Death
changeOn January 3, 2015, Brooke died at his home in Coral Gables, Florida at the age of 95 from natural causes.[7]
References
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Edward Brooke, first African-American elected to Senate since Reconstruction, dies". Boston Globe.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
- ↑ Samuelson, Tracey D. "Who is Edward Brooke?", The Christian Science Monitor, October 28, 2009. WebCitation archive.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Harry Byrd's Death Leaves 167 Living Ex-Senators". Humphrey School of Public Affairs.org. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2013.
- ↑ "President Obama Honors First Popularly Elected African American Senator". ABC News.com. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Black Politicians in America: Edward Brooke". My Black History.net. Retrieved September 22, 2013.
- ↑ Clementson, Lynette (2003-06-10). "Surprise Role for Ex-Senator: Male Breast Cancer Patient". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2008-06-04. Retrieved 2014-10-09.
- ↑ "Edward Brooke, first black senator since reconstruction, dies". CNN.com. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
Other websites
changeMedia related to Edward Brooke at Wikimedia Commons
- Edward Brooke's oral history video excerpts at The National Visionary Leadership Project
- Edward W. Brooke Charter School A public charter school founded in Senator Brooke's honor, dedicated to building great teachers and closing the achievement gap.