This is the true story of America's first black dynasty. The
years after the Civil War represented an astonishing moment of
opportunity for African-Americans. The rush to build a racially
democratic society from the ruins of slavery is never more evident
than in the personal history of Blanche Kelso Bruce and his
heirs.
Born a slave in 1841, Bruce became a local Mississippi sheriff,
developed a growing Republican power base, amassed a real-estate
fortune, and became the first black to serve a full Senate term. He
married Josephine Willson, the daughter of a wealthy black
Philadelphia doctor. Together they broke racial barriers as a
socialite couple in 1880s Washington, D.C.
By befriending President Ulysses S. Grant, abolitionist
Frederick Douglass, and a cadre of liberal black and white
Republicans, Bruce spent six years in the U.S. Senate, then gained
appointments under four presidents (Garfield, Arthur, Harrison, and
McKinley), culminating with a top Treasury post, which placed his
name on all U.S. currency.
During Reconstruction, the Bruce family entertained lavishly in
their two Washington town houses and acquired an 800-acre
plantation, homes in four states, and a fortune that allowed their
son and grandchildren to attend Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard
University, beginning in 1896.
The Senator's legacy would continue with his son, Roscoe, who
became both a protege of Booker T. Washington and a superintendent
of Washington, D.C.'s segregated schools. When the family moved to
New York in the 1920s and formed an alliance with John D.
Rockefeller Jr., the Bruces became an enviable force in Harlem
society. Their public battle to get their grandson admitted into
Harvard University's segregated dormitories elicited the support of
people like W. E. B. Du Bois and Franklin D. Roosevelt, and broke
brave new ground for blacks of their day.
But in the end, the Bruce dynasty's wealth and stature would
disappear when the Senator's grandson landed in prison following a
sensational trial and his Radcliffe-educated granddaughter married
a black Hollywood actor who passed for white.
By drawing on Senate records, historic documents, and the
personal letters of Senator Bruce, Josephine, their colleagues,
friends, children, and grandchildren, author Lawrence Otis Graham
weaves a riveting social history that spans 120 years. From
Mississippi to Washington, D.C., to New York, "The Senator and the
Socialite" provides a fascinating look into the history of race and
class in America.
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