List of African-American United States Senators

The official senate portrait of Barack Obama, the fifth African-American United States Senator, who later became the first African-American President

  States currently represented by a black Senator

  States formerly represented by a black Senator

The United States Senate has had nine African-American elected or appointed office holders.^[1] The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, which is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. No African American served in federal elective office before the ratification in 1870 of the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Fifteenth Amendment prohibits the federal and state governments from denying any citizen the right to vote because of that citizen's race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Of the nine senators, five were popularly elected (including one that previously had been appointed by his state's governor), two were elected by the state legislature prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1913 (which provides for the direct election of U.S. Senators by the people of each state), and two were appointed by a state Governor. The 113th United States Congress (2013–15) marked the first time that two African Americans served concurrently in the Senate.^[2]

The first two African-American senators represented the state of Mississippi during the Reconstruction Era, following the American Civil War. Hiram Rhodes Revels, the first African American to serve, was elected by the Mississippi State Legislature to succeed Albert G. Brown, who resigned during the Civil War. Some members of the United States Senate opposed his being seated based on the court case Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) by the Supreme Court of the United States, claiming that Revels did not meet the citizenship requirement, but the majority of Senators voted to seat him.^[1] The Mississippi state legislature elected Blanche Bruce in 1875, but Republicans lost power of the Mississippi state legislature in 1876. Bruce was not elected to a second term in 1881.^[1] In 1890 the Democratic-dominated state legislature passed a new constitution disfranchising most black voters. Every other Southern state also passed disfranchising constitutions by 1908, excluding African Americans from the political system in the entire former Confederacy. This situation persisted into the 1960s until after federal enforcement of constitutional rights under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The next black United States Senator, Edward Brooke of Massachusetts, took office in 1967. He was the first African American to be elected by popular vote after the ratification in 1913 of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, rather than to be elected by a state legislature.^[1] The Seventeenth Amendment established direct election of United States Senators by popular vote.

Carol Moseley Braun and Barack Obama were both elected by the voters of Illinois, entering the Senate in 1993 and 2004, respectively.^[1] Carol Moseley Braun is the first (and, to date, only) African-American woman to be elected - or appointed - to the Senate after the ratification in 1920 of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Nineteenth Amendment prohibits any United States citizen from being denied the right to vote on the basis of sex. While serving in the Senate, Obama became the first African American to be elected to the office of President of the United States.^[3] Roland Burris, also an African American, was appointed to fill the remainder of the Senate term of President-elect Obama.^[4]

The next two black Senators, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Mo Cowan of Massachusetts, were both appointed by governors to fill the terms of Jim DeMint and John Kerry, respectively, who had resigned their positions.^[1] On October 16, 2013, citizens of New Jersey elected Cory Booker in a special election to fill the seat of the late Senator Frank R. Lautenberg.^[5] Sworn into office on October 31, 2013, he is the first African-American Senator to be elected since Barack Obama in 2004 and the first to represent the state of New Jersey. Senator Tim Scott, an appointee, retained his seat in a general election as Senator of South Carolina in the 2014 elections.

As of November 2015, there have been 1,963 members of the United States Senate,^[6] but only nine have been black.^[7][8] While 58 nationwide organizations exist to elect women to the United States Congress, including EMILY's List and the Susan B. Anthony List, no organization has been formed to elect African Americans to the United States Congress.^[9]

List of African-American Senators of the United States

Political Parties

  Democratic   Republican

Senator			State	Took office	Left office	Party	Congress	Ref.	Note
		Hiram Rhodes Revels (1827–1901)	Mississippi	February 23, 1870	March 3, 1871	Republican	41st (1869–1871)	[10][11]	[note 1]
		Blanche Kelso Bruce (1841–1898)	Mississippi	March 4, 1875	March 3, 1881	Republican	44th (1875–1877)	[12][13]	[note 2]
							45th (1877–1879)
							46th (1879–1881)
		Edward William Brooke, III (1919–2015)	Massachusetts	January 3, 1967	January 3, 1979	Republican	90th (1967–1969)	[14]	[note 3]
							91st (1969–1971)
							92nd (1971–1973)
							93rd (1973–1975)
							94th (1975–1977)
							95th (1977–1979)
		Carol Moseley Braun (born 1947)	Illinois	January 3, 1993	January 3, 1999	Democratic	103rd (1993–1995)	[15][16]	[note 4]
							104th (1995–1997)
							105th (1997–1999)
		Barack Obama (born 1961)	Illinois	January 3, 2005	November 16, 2008	Democratic	109th (2005–2007)	[3][17]	[note 5]
							110th (2007–2009)
		Roland W. Burris (born 1937)	Illinois	January 15, 2009	November 29, 2010	Democratic	111th (2009–2011)	[4]	[note 6]
		Tim Scott (born 1965)	South Carolina	January 2, 2013	Incumbent	Republican	112th (2011–2013)	[18][19]	[note 7]
							113th (2013–2015)
							114th (2015–2017)
							115th (2017–2019)
		Mo Cowan (born 1969)	Massachusetts	February 1, 2013	July 16, 2013	Democratic	113th (2013–2015)	[20][21]	[note 8]
		Cory Booker (born 1969)	New Jersey	October 31, 2013	Incumbent	Democratic	113th (2013–2015)	[5][22][23]	[note 9]
							114th (2015–2017)
							115th (2017–2019)
		Kamala Harris (born 1964)	California	January 3, 2017 (Senator-elect)	Incumbent	Democratic	115th (2017–2019)

African Americans elected to the United States Senate, but not seated

Political Party

  Republican

Senator			State	Took office	Left office	Party	Congress	Ref.	Note
		P. B. S. Pinchback (1837–1921)	Louisiana	Vacant	Vacant	Republican	44th (1875–1877)	[24]	[note 10]

See also

Federal government

• African Americans in the United States Congress
  • List of African-American United States Representatives
  • Congressional Black Caucus
  • Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
• List of African-American United States Cabinet Secretaries

State and local government

• African-American officeholders in the United States, 1789-1866
• List of African-American U.S. state firsts
• List of first African-American mayors

Notes

1. Retired from office. First African American to serve in the United States Senate and Congress. First African-American Republican elected to Congress. First African American to serve in Congress from Mississippi.^[10]
2. Retired from office. First African American to serve a full six-year term as a United States Senator. The only Senator to be a former slave.^[13]
3. Lost office during reelection. First African American elected to the Senate by direct election. First African American to serve in Congress from Massachusetts.^[14]
4. Lost office during reelection. First African-American female and African-American Democrat to serve in the United States Senate.^[15]
5. Resigned from office following election to the presidency of the United States. First African-American President of the United States.^[3]
6. Appointed by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to fill vacancy caused by the resignation of President-elect Barack Obama. Not a candidate during special election following his appointment. First African American to succeed another African American in the Senate.^[4]
7. Appointed by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley to fill vacancy caused by the resignation of Jim DeMint. First African American to serve in both chambers of the United States Congress.
8. Appointed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to fill vacancy caused by the resignation of John Kerry. Not a candidate during special election following his appointment. First African-American Senator appointed by an African-American Governor. The first African American to serve alongside another African-American Senator - Tim Scott.
9. Elected to fill vacancy caused by the death of Frank R. Lautenberg. First African American to be elected to the Senate by special election.
10. Denied seat due to a contested election that involved William L. McMillen.

References

1. Wiersema, Alisa (February 1, 2013). "Reconstruction and Beyond: The 8 African-American Senators". ABC News. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
2. Weigel, David (January 30, 2013). "For the First Time Ever, We'll Have Two Black Senators Serving at the Same Time". Slate Magazine. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
3. "Obama, Barack, (1961 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
4. "Burris, Roland, (1937 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
5. Walshe, Shushannah (January 30, 2013). "Cory Booker Wins Race for US Senate Seat in New Jersey". ABC News. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
6. "Senators of the United States: 1789-present" (PDF). Senate Historical Office. April 17, 2015. p. 90. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
7. "Ethnic Diversity in the Senate". Senate Historical Office. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
8. Desjardins, Lisa (April 4, 2012). "No African-American senators likely in near future". CNN.com. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
9. Terkel, Amanda (27 September 2012). "Senate Likely To Remain Without Black Members For Years". Huffington Post. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
10. "Revels, Hiram Rhodes, (1827 - 1901)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
11. "First African American Senator". Historical Minutes Essays, 1878-1920. The Senate Historical Office, The United States Senate. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
12. "Bruce, Blanche Kelso, (1841 - 1898)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
13. "Former Slave Presides over Senate". Historical Minutes Essays, 1878-1920. Senate Historical Office, The United States Senate. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
14. "Brooke, Edward William, III, (1919 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
15. "Moseley Braun, Carol, (1947 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
16. "Carol Moseley Braun". Art & History Home. Senate Historical Office, The United States Senate. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
17. "Barack Obama". Art & History Home. Senate Historical Office, The United States Senate. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
18. "Scott, Tim, (1965 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
19. Blake, Aaron; Cillizza, Chris (December 17, 2012). "Nikki Haley appoints Rep. Tim Scott to Senate". Washington Post. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
20. "Cowan, William (Mo), (1969 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
21. Phillips, Frank (January 30, 2013). "William 'Mo' Cowan is Governor Deval Patrick's pick to serve as interim US senator". Boston Globe. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
22. "Booker, Cory Anthony, (1969 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
23. Giambusso, David (October 23, 2013). "Cory Booker planning to be sworn in to Senate on Halloween". The Star-Ledger. New Jersey On-Line. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
24. Office of the Historian. "'Crafting an Identity,' Fifteenth Amendment in Flesh and Blood". Black Americans in Congress. Office of the Clerk, House of Representatives of the United States. Retrieved August 7, 2013.

Further reading

• Clay, William L. Just Permanent Interests: Black Americans in Congress, 1870–1991. Amistad Press, 1992. ISBN 1-56743-000-7
• Dray, Philip. Capitol Men: The Epic Story of Reconstruction Through the Lives of the First Black Congressmen. Houghton Mifflin Co, 2008. ISBN 978-0-618-56370-8
• Foner, Eric. Freedom's Lawmakers: A Directory of Black Officeholders during Reconstruction. 1996. Revised. ISBN 0-8071-2082-0
• Freedman, Eric. African Americans in Congress: A Documentary History. CQ Press, 2007. ISBN 0-87289-385-5
• Gill, LaVerne McCain. African American Women in Congress: Forming and Transforming History. Rutgers University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-8135-2353-2
• Hahn, Steven. A Nation Under Our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South From Slavery to the Great Migration. 2003. ISBN 0-674-01169-4
• Haskins, James. Distinguished African American Political and Governmental Leaders. Phoenix, Arizona: Oryx Press, 1999. ISBN 1-57356-126-6
• Lynch, Matthew (2012). Before Obama: A Reappraisal of Black Reconstruction Era Politicians. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313397929.
• Middleton, Stephen. Black Congressmen During Reconstruction : A Documentary Sourcebook. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2002. ISBN 0-313-06512-8
• Rabinowitz, Howard N. Southern Black Leaders of the Reconstruction Era. University of Illinois Press, 1982. ISBN 0-252-00929-0
• Walton, Jr., Hanes; Puckett, Sherman C.; Deskins, Jr., Donald R. (2012). The African American Electorate: A Statistical History. Congressional Quarterly Press. ISBN 9780872895089.
• Wasniewski, Matthew as editor. Black Americans in Congress, 1870-2007. Washington, D.C.: GPO, 2008. ISBN 978-0-16-080194-5. The website, Black Americans in Congress maintained by the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives, serves as an ongoing supplement to the book. To download a free copy of the entire publication or a specific portion of the publication, see H. Doc. 108-224 - Black Americans in Congress 1870 - 2007. Made available by the United States Government Printing Office (GPO).

External links

• African American Members of the United States Congress: 1870–2012 A 66-page history produced by the Congressional Research Service, a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress.
• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 - Present Perform search of desired Representative or Delegate by last name, first name, position, state, party, by year or congress.
• Black Americans in Congress, 1870–2007 A C-SPAN video with Matt Wasniewski, historian of the United States House of Representatives, as the presenter. He discusses the history of African Americans in Congress from 1870 to 2007. The video is 164 minutes in length.
• Black Americans in Congress Maintained by the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. The website serves as an ongoing supplement to the book, Black Americans in Congress, 1870-2007.
• Major African American Office Holders Since 1641 Includes a listing for the United States Senate. Maintained by Blackpast.org.