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First elected black US senator dies

Richard ConnorJanuary 4, 2015

Former US Senator Edward W. Brooke, the first African-American to be elected to Washington's upper house, has died at the age of 95. President Barack Obama paid tribute to the Republican, describing him as a trailblazer.

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US-Senator Edward Brooke Massachusetts Schwarze Republikaner
Image: AP

Brooke's former chief counsel Ralph Neas said the former senator had died of natural causes at his Florida home on Saturday.

Born October 26, 1919, Brooke studied at Washington DC's Howard University and fought in World War II as a member of a segregated regiment. He practiced law and became the first state attorney general ever in the US, for Massachusetts.

On the liberal wing of the Republican party, Brooke represented Massachusetts - which is largely Democratic - for two six-year terms in the Senate from 1967 to 1979.

Known for his advocacy of fair housing policies, Brooke's bid to be re-elected for a third time was damaged by financial wrongdoing allegations.

'At the forefront of the battle'

President Barack Obama - who was himself only the third directly-elected black member of the Senate - praised Brooke's achievements.

"Senator Brooke led an extraordinary life of public service," Obama - who bestowed the Congressional Gold Medal on Brooke in 2009 - said in a statement Saturday. "Ed Brooke stood at the forefront of the battle for civil rights and economic fairness."

Obama said he, as the first black US president, had "followed the trail" that Brooke had blazed through the segregated society of the US at the time.

Two African-American senators served in the years immediately after the US Civil War, when senators were still chosen by state legislatures. However, neither was ever popularly elected.

rc/bk (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)