The Senator & the Socialite: The True Story of America's First Black Dynasty. [1st hardcover].
Language: English
Published by HarperCollins. (c2006)., New York., 2006
- First Edition
- Hardcover
- Used
Seller: Booktopia, Beverly Hills, FL, U.S.A.Booktopia
AbeBooks seller since November 25, 2025
Condition: Used - Near fine
£ 8.85
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
xxiv. + 456pp. Illustrated: 16 pages of glossy, vintage photo plates. xxiv. + 456pp. Chronology, Source Notes, Bibliography, Index. Marbled ivory boards & gilt lettered black back. First Edition so stated. 1st Printing per print number line. NOT a remainder. Approx. 12 pages have either creases or tiny tears along margins only. A clean/tight/crisp copy. VG+/Near Fine dj. Meager imperfections. Book appears unread, no writings, no cover wear. Jacket complete/clean/crisp, no tears.
Seller Inventory # 2220040119
- Title
- The Senator & the Socialite: The True Story of America's First Black Dynasty. [1st hardcover].
- Author
- Graham, Lawrence Otis.
- Publisher
- HarperCollins. (c2006)., New York.
- Publication year
- 2006
- Condition
- Near fine
- Dust jacket
- Near Fine dj
- Binding
- HARDCOVER
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0060184124
- ISBN 13
- 9780060184124
- Edition
- First Edition.
- Dimensions
- Octavo. (8vo.)
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Back Cover
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.
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Booktopia
Beverly Hills, FL, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since November 25, 2025
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Over 45 years combined of book selling & making: retail, manufacturing, & used books. Booktopia began online in 2006. Our inventory is mostly non-fiction albeit we have some Literature and Literary Criticism. Americana (State/Town History), Natural History, Political History, Colonial & American History. Science, Medicine. Florida History. Vermont/New England History. All book conditions are based on our experience. Any Remainders or Ex-Library copies - of which there are few - are noted. NO International orders.…
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