Edward Brooke

Edward Brooke
Name	Edward Brooke
Caption	Official portrait, 1967
Office	United States Senator from Massachusetts
Term start	January 3, 1967
Term end	January 3, 1979
Predecessor	Leverett Saltonstall
Successor	Paul Tsongas
Office2	Attorney General of Massachusetts
Term start2	1963
Term end2	1967
Governor2	Endicott Peabody, John Volpe
Predecessor2	Edward McCormack
Successor2	Elliot Richardson
Birth name	Edward William Brooke III
Birth date	October 26, 1919
Birth place	Washington, D.C.
Death date	January 3, 2015 (aged 95)
Death place	Coral Gables, Florida
Party	Republican
Spouse	Remigia Ferrari-Scacco (m. 1947, div. 1979), Anne Brooke (m. 1979)
Education	Howard University (BA), Boston University (LLB, LLM)
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
Serviceyears	1941–1946
Rank	Captain
Unit	366th Infantry Regiment
Battles	World War II

Edward Brooke was a pioneering American politician and attorney who broke significant racial barriers in the 20th century. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the Attorney General of Massachusetts before being elected as a United States Senator from Massachusetts, becoming the first African American popularly elected to the United States Senate and the first to serve since Reconstruction. Throughout his career, he was known as a liberal Rockefeller Republican who championed civil rights, affordable housing, and opposition to the Vietnam War, while maintaining a reputation for integrity and bipartisan cooperation.

Early life and education

Edward William Brooke III was born on October 26, 1919, in Washington, D.C., to Helen and Edward Brooke Jr., a lawyer for the Veterans Administration. He attended the segregated Dunbar High School, a prestigious academic institution. He graduated from Howard University in 1941 with a degree in sociology, where he was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity and the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. He later attended Boston University School of Law, earning both a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Laws after his service in World War II.

Military service and legal career

During World War II, Brooke served as a captain in the United States Army, assigned to the all-black 366th Infantry Regiment. He saw combat in Italy and earned the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge. After the war, he returned to Boston to complete his legal education. He began his legal practice in Roxbury, co-founding the firm Brooke, Overman & Nutter. He also served as chairman of the finance commission for the City of Boston, investigating municipal corruption.

Political career

Brooke entered politics as a Republican in the predominantly Democratic state of Massachusetts. His first statewide campaign was an unsuccessful run for Secretary of the Commonwealth in 1960. He achieved a historic victory in 1962 when he was elected Attorney General of Massachusetts, becoming the first African American to hold that office in any state. In this role, he gained national attention for his investigations into organized crime and corruption, successfully prosecuting cases related to the Boston Police Department and the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company.

U.S. Senate tenure

In 1966, Brooke defeated former Governor Endicott Peabody to win a seat in the United States Senate. His election marked a historic first for African American representation in the U.S. Senate since the era of Blanche Bruce. In the Senate, he served on influential committees including the Banking Committee and the Appropriations Committee. He was a key author of the Fair Housing Act and co-wrote the Brooke Amendment, which capped public housing rent. A vocal critic of President Richard Nixon, he was the first Senate Republican to call for Nixon's resignation during the Watergate scandal. He also opposed the nominations of Clement Haynsworth and G. Harrold Carswell to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Post-Senate career and later life

After losing his 1978 re-election bid to Paul Tsongas, Brooke returned to the practice of law in Washington, D.C., joining the firm O'Melveny & Myers. He later served as chairman of the Low-Income Housing Preservation Commission and on the President's Commission on White House Fellowships. In 2002, he was diagnosed with breast cancer and became a public advocate for male cancer awareness. Personal financial difficulties and a divorce from his first wife, Remigia Ferrari-Scacco, led to legal issues, though his 1979 marriage to Anne Brooke remained stable. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2004. Brooke died on January 3, 2015, at his home in Coral Gables, Florida.

Legacy and honors

Edward Brooke's legacy is that of a trailblazer who expanded the possibilities for African Americans in American politics. The Edward W. Brooke Courthouse in Boston is named in his honor. In 2009, he was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal, with accolades from leaders including President Barack Obama and Senator John Kerry. His career is studied as a model of pragmatic, bipartisan leadership within the liberal wing of the Republican Party. His papers are housed at the Library of Congress, and his life story is documented in his autobiography, *Bridging the Divide*.

Category:1919 births Category:2015 deaths Category:American military personnel of World War II Category:Attorneys General of Massachusetts Category:United States Senators from Massachusetts