Queen Of The South (2016)2016
To date, 11 African Americans have served in the United States Senate. In 1870 Hiram Revels of Mississippi became the first African American senator. Five years later, Blanche K. Bruce of Mississippi took the oath of office. It would be nearly another century, 1967, before Edward Brooke of Massachusetts followed in their historic footsteps. Carol Moseley Braun broke new ground in 1993, becoming the first African American woman to serve as U.S. senator. In 2005 Barack Obama of Illinois became the fifth African American to serve and third to be popularly elected. Upon Obama's resignation to become the nation's first African American president, Roland Burris was appointed to fill the vacancy, becoming the sixth African American senator and the third to occupy the same Illinois Senate seat. Tim Scott of South Carolina was appointed to fill a vacancy in 2013, becoming the first African American since Reconstruction to represent a southern state in the Senate. He won a special election in 2014 to complete the term and was elected to a full term in 2016. The appointment of Massachusetts senator William "Mo" Cowan on February 1, 2013, marked the first time that two African Americans have served simultaneously in the United States Senate. Cory Booker of New Jersey became the ninth African American senator when he won a special election to replace Senator Frank Lautenberg on October 31, 2013. Booker won election to a full term in 2014. Kamala Harris became California's first African American senator on January 3, 2017, bringing the number of African Americans serving simultaneously to three and the total number of African American senators to 10. In January 2021 Raphael Warnock of Georgia won a run-off election to complete the term of Johnny Isakson, bringing the total number of African American senators to 11. Kamala Harris became the first woman and the first African American elected as vice president of the United States in November 2020 and resigned her Senate seat on January 18, 2021.
Queen of the South (2016)2016
Appointed to the Senate on January 2, 2013, Tim Scott (R-SC) became the first African American since Reconstruction to represent a southern state in the Senate. Born in North Charleston, South Carolina, on September 19, 1965, Scott attended Presbyterian College in Clinton before graduating with a bachelor of science degree from Charleston Southern University in 1988. An entrepreneur, Scott pursued a career in insurance and real estate. He served on the Charleston County council from 1995 until 2008 and was a member of the South Carolina house of representatives from 2009 until 2010. Elected as a Republican to the 112th Congress, Scott served one term in the House of Representatives before being appointed to the United States Senate. He was elected in a 2014 special election for the term ending January 3, 2017, and to a full term in 2016. (Photo: Senate Historical Office) 041b061a72