Edward Brooke
 Edward Brooke     ( politician) | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Edward William Brooke III October 26, 1919 Washington D.C., U.S. |
| Died | January 3, 2015 (Age 95) Coral Gables, Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality | US |
| Alma mater | • Howard University • Boston University |
| Children | 3 |
| Spouse | Remigia Ferrari-Scacco |
| Party | Republican |
The first African-American elected to the US Senate. He attended Bilderberg 1969, where one of the subjects was Elements of instability in Western Society. Of possible relevance is that Brooke sat on a commission investigating the causes of over 150 riots throughout the United States in 1967. He was also mooted as a candidate for Vice President.
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Edward William Brooke IIIwas an American lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1967 to 1979. A member of the Republican Party, he was the first African-American elected to the United States Senate by popular vote.
He attended the 1969 Bilderberg meeting. Of possible relevance is that he sat on the 1968 Kerner Commission, an 11-member Presidential Commission established to investigate the causes of over 150 riots throughout the United States in 1967 and provide recommendations that would prevent them from reoccurring.[1] One of subjects of the 1969 Bilderberg meeting was Elements of instability in Western Society, which also covered the 1967 riots.[2]
Background and education
Brooke was was born in Washington, D.C. He attended the public schools there, as well as Dunbar High School, one of the most prestigious high schools for African-Americans in the federal capital. He then initially decided to study human medicine, but soon switched to the social sciences. He graduated in 1941. He enlisted as a soldier in the United States Army immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor. There he served during the Second World War in Italy, where he also met his future first wife. Brooke, who was last in the rank of captain, retired from active service in 1945. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal during his military service.[3] At the time, Brooke was also mooted as a candidate for Vice President.[4]
After returning to the United States, Brooke enrolled in a new course of study, this time law at Boston University. He successfully completed his studies in 1948.
Career
In 1950, he ran for a seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in both the Republican and Democrat primaries. He was able to win the Republican primary, but he could not prevail in the primary election, which gave him a future with the traditionally strong Democrats in Massachusetts. From then on, he ran for the Republicans in two more elections, but failed to prevail both times. Thus, he very narrowly lost the election for Secretary of State. The leaders of the Republicans in Massachusetts then became aware of Brooke. Governor John Volpe appointed him chairman of the Boston Finance Commission, where Brooke made a name for himself. There he was responsible for the detection of financial irregularities and corruption in the city administration of Boston.[3]
In 1962, Brooke successfully ran for Attorney General of Massachusetts. He was the first African-American to hold this office in a U.S. state. Brooke was also able to make a name for himself in this office, including in the fight against organized crime. His tenure also saw the case of Albert Henry DeSalvo, who made headlines as a Boston Strangler. In 1965, Brooke was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[3]
In the 1966 Senate election, Brooke ran for the seat of the no-longer-running Leverett Saltonstall, and became the first African-American to be elected to the Senate by popular vote after the passage of the 17th Amendment. He was a member of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Brooke was re-elected in 1972, making him the first African-American to do so.
In 1978, Brooke denied allegations by the Boston Globe "that he spent more than he earned".[5] The same year, 1978, he had to admit defeat to Paul Tsongas and retired from the Senate in 1979.[3][6]
After politics
After leaving the Senate, he worked as a consultant and lawyer in Washington, D.C. from then on, and a lobbyist for causes he supported. Brookes appeared before his former colleagues to voice support for Federal grants to help the poor purchase fuel oil, and joined with feminist activist Gloria Steinem to form a pro-abortion political group called Voters for Choice. He also was a consultant for real estate developers seeking rent subsidies from the .S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and it was this work that brought charges of influence peddling in 1989 and again in 1992. The Boston Globe reported in 1989 that a HUD audit showed Brooke making $183,000 from the developers under investigation, but by 1992 the only indictments brought in the case were against a former aide of Brooke.[4]
In 2002, he was diagnosed with breast cancer. After receiving the diagnosis, he was a supporter of several campaigns that drew attention to the rare disease in men. On June 23, 2004, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by US President George W. Bush. On October 28, 2009, he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Brooke died at the age of 95 on January 3, 2015 in Coral Gables, Florida, where he had lived until recently with his second wife.[3]
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1969 | 9 May 1969 | 11 May 1969 | Denmark Hotel Marienlyst Elsinore | The 18th Bilderberg meeting, with 85 participants |
References
- ↑ http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=28369
- ↑ See Bilderberg/1969
- ↑ a b c d e https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/us/edward-brooke-pioneering-us-senator-in-massachusetts-dies-at-95.html
- ↑ a b https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/history/us-history-biographies/edward-w-brooke
- ↑ https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth-oai:vq2806634
- ↑ https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/B000871
