A Trailblazing Politician: Edward W. Brooke

Cover of Brooke's Birthday Ball souvenir

This February, our Collection Spotlight case features materials related to Edward W. Brooke. Brooke (1919-2015) served as Massachusetts' Attorney General from 1963-1967, earning the distinction as the first African American elected as attorney general in any state. He then went on to serve as Massachusetts' U.S. Senator from 1967-1979, earning more "firsts" as the first African American elected to the Senate by popular vote and the first African American elected to two Senate terms.

Three items that document Brooke's career in the 1960s are on display. The first is a photograph from the library’s own institutional records. Our institutional photographs record past exhibits and events held at the State Library, and this one, dated February 1963, shows Brooke (center, holding an item) with three unidentified men at an exhibit on Black History. The commemoration was known at the time of this photograph as Negro History Week, but beginning in 1970 was celebrated in communities and educational institutions as Black History Month, before receiving an official federal designation in 1976. While we cannot determine every item that is part of the display in the photograph, there are few that are identifiable. At the top center of the display is the program from the Thirty-Eighth Annual Celebration of Negro History Week (1963) for Proud American Day, on February 14. Directly below that is Brooke’s own portrait, displayed next to the cover of Fight for Freedom: The Story of the NAACP by Langston Hughes. And just below that looks to be a publication related to the memorial to Crispus Attucks on Boston Common. There are other publications, books, photographs, and an official Commonwealth of Massachusetts publication. Having a display of this nature is something that continues in the library each February, as our reference staff selects books and resources from our collection to celebrate Black history.

 

Moving further into Brooke’s career as attorney general, we are also sharing a souvenir booklet published in conjunction with a celebration ball held for his birthday on October 26, 1965 at the Grand Ballroom of the Sheraton Boston Hotel. With the heading of "Lawyer for Five Million Citizens,” the souvenir begins with four pages of career highlights, including investigating air and water pollution, improving policy surrounding eminent domain, and establishment of the Highway Laws Study Commission. Also included are photographs of Brooke with family, friends, and constituents. Additional pages include birthday wishes and sponsorship notices from groups and individuals throughout the Commonwealth. For our in-library display, we've opened the booklet to the page  with birthday greetings from individuals in Barnstable County. Adorning the cover is an artist’s rendering of Brooke, shown in the first image above.

Rounding out the display is the 1967 edition of Public Officers of the Commonwealth, also known as Bird Books, which provide photographs and biographical information for Massachusetts’ elected officials. The displayed edition is from Brooke’s first term as a U.S. Senator, showing his home address in Newton, his Republication affiliation, biographical information, organizational membership, and his public office positions. Brooke went on to serve in the U.S. Senate until 1979, and was largely known as a progressive Republican, meaning he leaned left on social policy and civil rights, but was fiscally conservative. Brooke was a strong advocate for civil rights, and while there are many achievements from his twelve years in the Senate, among the most notable was his co-writing of the Civil Rights act of 1968.

Read about Brooke’s work to establish Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday as a holiday in a previous blog post, and for further reading, check out his autobiography, Bridging the Divide: My Life. This Black History Month, we are excited for the opportunity to share collection items related to one of Massachusetts’ most pioneering and influential politicians, and hope that you’ll visit the library between February 3 and March 3 to see these items on display.

Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian