The Senator and the Socialite: The True Story of America's First Black Dynasty

First of all you should know that The Senator and the Socialite reads like a novel as opposed to a history book. Those of you who would not normally venture into the non-fictional history section at your local library will enjoy this book as much as those who would. What sets this book apart from others is that it gives a personal perspective to our nations first black senator that served a full term. The author did not pull any punches when he described some of the actions taken by the senator that were at the time seen as a betrayal to his own race. What tempered the book for me was the way the author described the political environment that the senator was faced with. This explained some of his actions and gave me a sense of empathy for him. One side bonus to the book was the carefully researched description of how the upper middle class black felt for their less fortunate bretheren. It's shameful to say but some of these well to do blacks were as prejudiced against lower classed blacks as hostile anglos of the era. These upper class blacks dedicated their entire lives to proving that they were just as good as their white counterparts and in many cases they sacrificed their dignity in the process. I would definitly recommend this book to anyone. It's an interesting read and you will find it difficult to put down at times.

The biography of the first black - a former slave - elected to a full term to the U.S. Senate and his wife, a socialite in black society, has so many levels: It is a controversial political family, accused by many that the offices were used to consolidate power rather than assist those in need; It is a family that seemingly rejects some relatives, as members who aren't "high enough" on the social ladder are hardly acknowledged; It is a family whose progeny simply cannot maintain the financial and social standing set forth by an extraordinary (grand)father and (grand)mother. The outstanding research by Lawrence Otis Graham brings to life the rise and fall of a family that has never received its due from the so-called history books in high schools and colleges. After putting the book down you will appreciate the challenges and burdens surrounding the family and perhaps realize that some of the travils are roads you may have traveled, though perhaps to a lesser degree.

THE SENATOR AND THE SOCIALITE proves that fact is indeed more fascinating than fiction. Fiction tends to lump blacks in the time period of the mid- to late-1800s, assuming the roles of slaves and the downtrodden. Fact shows us that there were families that thrived in roles other than those we commonly consider. Blanche Bruce, the senator, was a slave for 23 years. While it might have been easy to allow a less than desirable beginning to hold him back, Blanche was made of sterner stuff. The son of a slave and a white master, he rose from slavery to become a landowner of an 800-acre plantation and a variety of rental properties. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1874. He gained appointments under no less than four presidents and was the first black man to have his name printed on U.S. currency. He also married a beautiful black woman from a prominent family. Josephine Willson, the socialite from Philadelphia and daughter of a doctor, was a fitting companion for an ambitious man. She married the senator in 1878. Their society wedding in the Episcopal Church and four-month European honeymoon were only a sign of the good things yet to come. Josephine possessed a light complexion, a blessing when it came to being accepted by white Republicans and society and a curse when it came to the presidency of the National Council of Colored Women. The senator and the socialite would become a powerful duo complementing each other perfectly and rising to great heights. This is the story of their humble beginnings and great accomplishments. The book is also peppered with an impressive number of names from America's past and interesting facts that shaped the history of our country. This book is a fascinating history of a family who lived extraordinary lives very different from those of other black families during the same time period. It's an inspiring story of a family who used education, connections and confidence to rise to a level of stature not normally achieved by black members of society at that time. They didn't wait for opportunity to knock on their door; they made their own opportunities. THE SENATOR AND THE SOCIALITE, while obviously a biographical work, contains every element one would want in a good work of fiction. There's fame and fortune, love and scandal. I highly recommend this book as both a good read and an inspirational story. --- Reviewed by Amie Taylor

I have to be honest. I was ready to hate this book. When Graham wrote his first book, "Our Kind of People", the whole Jack & Jill/Martha's Vineyard/light-skinned/Howard alumni/my-Daddy-is-a doctor-crowd just came out of the woodwork. Everytime I turned around, people were giving me that book for a present. And Graham, with all his perfect black Ivy League credentials just nauseated me. But I have to say, the brother seems to just tell it like it is. He was fearless in "Our Kind of People" when he totally broke down and described the black elite in virtually every city---even explaining which Episcopal church, which debutante cotillion, which private day school and which neighborhood was the "right" choice for the uppity---er, I mean---upper class black families in each major city. Graham's new book is like "Our Kind of People" on steroids. In "The Senator and The Socialite", Graham actually found a black family that epitomizes the black upperclass he talked about in his first book. Although this is a history book about the first black senator --a man named Blanch Bruce from Missisippi, the book reads like a novel. Almost like a movie. It's got everything in it. A former slave marries a light skinned free black woman. The couple becomes the richest black family in D.C. in the 1870s. They hang out with President Grant and Frederick Douglass. Their kids go to Harvard and Radcliffe and the daughter not only gets a law degree at Boston University, she becomes head of the law review. Graham is clearly fixated on high-living rich people because he even talks about how much money the Senator spends at Saks Fifth Avenue store in 1880-something. He's got details on the size of their houses (imagine, black folks who owned an 800 acre plantation, plus houses in D.C., Maryland and New York!!) I don't want to ruin the end for you, but the Bruce family had it all---then later loses it all. The Senator's son is hired by Booker T. Washington to be a spy while the son is still at Harvard, and then the son later gets to be superintendent of schools in D.C. Then later the Senator's granddaughter marries a black movie actor---who then later passes for white so that he can be in white movies too. I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but it was great to read a book about us that wasn't just filled with a lot of poor downtrodden black folks. It seems that most stories of blacks during slavery and the 1800s are about poverty, death and failure. I'm sure those stories were the more common ones that really happened, but I'm glad that Graham (I still think he's a snob) found a more uplifting one that shows blacks at their best. The Bruces were a classy family with especially bright and accomplished black women (Josephine Bruce was Dean at Tuskegee Institute in the 1890s, and Clara Bruce was the first black woman to pass the bar in Massachusets--and she also was nominated for the State legislature in New York, from Harlem). In another time, t

There have been a lot of rags to riches stories, but few who were born to a slave in pre-Civil War Mississippi. Mr. Bruce was able to ride the reconstructionist movement to become a Sheriff in Mississippi and eventually a United States Senator. He was the first black senator to serve a full term. He created a legacy that is now all but forgotten. It can be argued that the time of reconstruction was a time that encouraged black participation in politics. None the less, with this start behind him, Mr. Bruce was able to continue this success beyond the reconstruction period, something few others were able to do. Mr. Bruce was half white, and many of his descendents are light enough colored that they are considered white, all but denying their black ancestry. This is a story of what one man did, and also a story of reconstruction itself. After Mr. Bruce's election, the actions of the KKK and the Democratic party in Mississippi effectively ended the reconstruction period. This is a well told story about a little known part of our history.