Bruce, Blanche Kelso, 1841-1898

Variant names

Dates:

Birth 1841-03-01

Death 1898-03-17

Nationality: Americans,

Language: English,

Biographical notes:

U.S. senator and state legislator from Mississippi.

From the description of Papers of Blanche Kelso Bruce, 1878-1890. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71062579

1841 March 1 Born a slave in Farmville, Prince Edward County, Virginia. 1866 1868 Attended Oberlin College, Oberlin Ohio. 1869 Feb. Moved to Mississippi - worked as a planter. 1870 Jan. Elected Sergeant-at-Arms of the Mississippi Senate. 1871 Elected Sheriff and tax assessor of Bolivar County, Mississippi. 1872 Delegate to the National Republican Convention 1874 Elected to U.S. Senate representing the State of Mississippi. 1875 1881 Began his fall term as a U.S. Senator. 1878 June 24 Married Josephine of Cleveland; union produced one son - Roscoe C. Bruce. 1880 Presided over the Republican National Convention in Chicago (the first of his race to do so) 1881 1885 Appointed Register of the Treasury by President Garfield. 1889 Appointed Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia by President Benjamin Harrison. 1893 Howard University conferred upon him the Honorary degree of LL.D. 1894 1898 Elected trustee of Howard University. 1897 Reappointed Register of the Treasury by President McKinley. 1898 March 17 Died in Washington, D.C.

Blanche K. Bruce had the distinguished honor of being the first of his race to serve a full six year term in the United States Senate, 1875 to 1881, and the first of his race to preside over the National Republican Convention of 1880 held in Chicago.

From the guide to the Blanche K. Bruce Papers, 1870-1891, (Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University)