Brooke, Edward

1919-2015 · Contribution: 1962-1966

First African American popularly elected to the U.S. Senate; first Black state Attorney General

Law & Civil Rights — collage image
Law & Civil Rights

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Impact on the world

Became the first African American to serve as a state Attorney General in 1962, then the first African American popularly elected to the United States Senate in 1966, a major breakthrough in American electoral politics.

Life & background

Admitted to the bar in 1948, Brooke became the first African American to serve as a state Attorney General in Massachusetts in 1962, then made history again in 1966 as the first African American popularly elected to the U.S. Senate.

Sources

  1. U.S. Senate Historical Office (Featured Biography); U.S. House History, Art & Archives (BROOKE, Edward William, III)