Edward Brooke (26 October 1919-3 January 2015) was a member of the US Senate from Massachusetts (R) from 3 January 1967 to 3 January 1979, succeeding Leverett Saltonstall and preceding Paul Tsongas.
Biography[]
Edward Brooke was born and raised in Washington DC, and he graduated from the Boston University School of Law after serving in the US Army in Italy during World War II. He served as Chairman of the Finance Commission of Boston before being elected Massachusetts Attorney General in 1962, and he won a landslide election to the US Senate in 1967. He aligned with the liberal Rockefeller Republicans, and he co-wrote the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prohibited housing discrimination. Brooke became a prominent critic of Richard Nixon, criticizing him after Watergate. He was defeated for re-election by Paul Tsongas in 1978, and he was involved with various businesses and non-profits after his retirement from politics.