Remember when there were rational Republicans?
Former Massachusetts Senator Edward W. Brooke Dead At 95
Brooke was the first Senator I ever campaigned for. I remember his answer to a questions over a talk show: “Mr. Brooke, what race are you. Brooke’s answer (as well as I can remember it) was “I am an American and was born here. My wife is an American and was born in Italy.” From the Wikipedia “Edward William Brooke III (October 26, 1919-January 3, 2015) was an American Republican politician. In 1966 he became the first African-American popularly elected to the United States Senate.[note 1] No other senator of African heritage was elected until Democrat Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois in 1993. As of 2014[update] Brooke was the only African-American Senator to serve multiple terms. He was elected to the Senate as a Republican from Massachusetts, defeating former Massachusetts governor Democrat Endicott Peabody in a landslide. He served for two terms, and was defeated by Paul Tsongas in the 1978 senate election.[1]
Brooke was the last Republican Senator elected from Massachusetts until Scott Brown was elected in 2010. As of 2014[update] Brooke was the oldest living former Senator.”