Purchase
The True Story of America's First Black Dynasty
HarperCollins
July 2006
480 pages
ISBN: 0060184124
Hardcover
Add to Wish List
Non-Fiction Biography
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 protégé 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.
No awards found for this book.
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
| 
© 2003-2025 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy