Blanche K. Bruce
Blanche Kelso. Bruce Died In Washington, DC On March 17, 1898. In 1875 Bruce Became The First Black American To Serve A Full Six-Year Term In The United States Senate.
Bruce Was A Major Reconstruction Politician And During His Tenure He Defended Minority Rights --- Including Those Of African Americans, Native Americans And Chinese Americans.
He Also Fought Washington Corruption. He Chaired The Select Committee That Investigated The Failed Freedman’s Savings & Trust Company. Bruce Successfully Recovered Most Of The Investments Made By 61,000 African American Depositors.
Bruce Was An Ex-Slave Who Established The First School For Black Americans In Hannibal, Missouri In 1864. This Was The First School Of Its Kind In The State.
He Moved To Mississippi And Became A Wealthy Planter. He Held Offices As Tax Collector, School Superintendent, Levee Board Member, Sheriff, And Eventually State Senator.
Bruce’s Home, Located At 909 M. Street N.W., Washington DC, Was Designated A National Historic Landmark In 1975.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
