User:The man from Gianyar/Edward Brooke II

Edward Brooke
Edward Brooke
	Official portrait, c. 1967
United States Senator; from Massachusetts
	In office; January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1979
Preceded by	Leverett Saltonstall
Succeeded by	Paul Tsongas
35th Attorney General; of Massachusetts
	In office; January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1967
Preceded by	Edward McCormack
Succeeded by	Edward T. Martin
Personal details
Born	October 26, 1919; Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died	January 3, 2015 (aged 95); Coral Gables, Florida, U.S.
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Remigia Ferrari-Scacco (m. 1947; div. 1979); Anne Fleming; (m. 1979)
Children	3
Education	Howard University (BA); Boston University (LLB)
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 Italian campaign; ;

Edward William Brooke III (October 26, 1919 – January 3, 2015) was an American politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1967 until 1979. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 35th Attorney General of Massachusetts from 1963 until 1967. His election to the U.S. Senate in 1966, marked the first time an African American was popularly elected senator,^[1]^[a] as well as the first time Massachusetts elected an African American to serve in the United States Congress.^[3]

Brooke was born in Washington, D.C. to a middle-class black family. He attended Howard University, where he studied social studies and political science. After graduating in 1941, he enlisted in the United States Army shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. By the end of World War II, he had attained the rank of captain, a Bronze Star Medal, and a Distinguished Service Award. His time in the army exposed him to the inequality and racism which existed in the army system, and led to a change in his perception of race. Following his discharge, he attended Boston University School of Law, graduating in 1948. After graduating, he worked as a lawyer and founded his own law firm. He began his involvement in politics in 1950, when he twice ran for a seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, both times losing to the same opponent.

Early life and career

^ The first African-American senator, Hiram Rhodes Revels, was appointed by the Mississippi state legislature to an unexpired term in 1870. Blanche Bruce was the first African American elected to the Senate, elected by the Mississippi state legislature to a full term in 1874. Prior to the 17th Amendment in 1913, U.S. Senators were elected by state legislatures.^[2]

^ "Edward Brooke: A Featured Biography". United States Senate. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
^ Martin, Douglas (January 3, 2015). "Edward W. Brooke III, 95, Senate Pioneer, Is Dead". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
^ "Brooke, Edward William, III". U.S. House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives. Retrieved July 2, 2022.