U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for November 6: First Popularly Elected Black Senator

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

FIRST POPULARLY ELECTED BLACK SENATOR

Profile America — Sunday, November 6th. This week in 1966, Edward Brooke became the nation's first African-American to win election to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, and only the third to serve in that chamber. During Reconstruction in the 1870s, two blacks chosen by Mississippi's legislature briefly represented the state as senators. Brooke's election ended an 85-year absence of blacks in the Senate. Since his defeat in a bid for a third term in 1978, the chamber has seated six more blacks, one of whom cut his term short to become President. In the 2012 election, 56.5 percent of registered Americans voted. Massachusetts, with 65.4 percent participation, trailed very few states. One of them was Mississippi, with the nation's highest state voting rate of 73.3 percent. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.

Sources:
Black Senators/accessed 8/16/2016: http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/h_multi_sections_and_teasers/Photo_Exhibit_African_American_Senators.htm 
Voting rates, table 4a:  http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/socdemo/voting/publications/p20/2012/tables.html

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotion of the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics and accounts drawn from cited non-Census sources are employed for illustrative or narrative purposes, and are not attested to by the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Audio" in the "Library" pull-down menu). 

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110428/DC91889LOGO

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

Related Links

http://www.census.gov

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED