Edward Brooke

Edward William Brooke III

October 26, 1919 – January 3, 2015

Edward W. Brooke III was an American lawyer and politician who made significant contributions to both the legal and political arenas. He served as a United States Senator from Massachusetts from 1967 to 1979, becoming the first African American to be popularly elected to the U.S. Senate. Here is a summary of his life and career:

  • Edward Brooke was a member of the Republican Party.
  • Before his Senate tenure, he held the position of Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1963 to 1967.
  • Born into a middle-class African-American family, Brooke was raised in Washington, D.C.
  • He attended Howard University and later graduated from Boston University School of Law in 1948 after serving in the U.S. Army during World War II.
  • Brooke entered the realm of politics in 1950 when he ran for a seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
  • He served as the chairman of the Boston Finance Commission.
  • In 1962, Edward Brooke made history by becoming the first African American to be elected as the Attorney General of any U.S. state.
  • After his four-year term as Attorney General, he ran for the U.S. Senate in 1966.
  • In the election, he secured a landslide victory against Democratic former Governor Endicott Peabody and took office on January 3, 1967.
  • During his Senate tenure, Brooke aligned with the liberal faction within the Republican Party.
  • He co-authored the Civil Rights Act of 1968, a landmark piece of legislation that aimed to eliminate housing discrimination.
  • Brooke was re-elected to a second Senate term in 1972, defeating attorney John Droney.
  • He gained prominence for his criticism of President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal and was the first Senate Republican to call for Nixon’s resignation.
  • In 1978, Brooke ran for a third Senate term but was defeated by Democrat Paul Tsongas.
  • After leaving the Senate, he pursued a legal career in Washington, D.C., and was associated with various businesses and nonprofit organizations.
  • Edward Brooke passed away in 2015 at his home in Coral Gables, Florida, at the age of 95.

Edward W. Brooke III’s contributions to civil rights, politics, and the legal profession left a lasting legacy in American history.