If you’re interested in checking the list of African American Senators, you’ve come to the right place. Here, we present the roster of Black senators in the U.S. Senate. You can find the names of Black female senators and Black Republican senators currently serving in the United States Senate. The compilation of Black politicians includes 11 African Americans who have served in the United States Senate up to FY 2024.
Hiram Revels of Mississippi made history in 1870 as the first African American senator. In 1993, Carol Moseley Braun became the first African American woman to serve as a U.S. senator. Barack Obama of Illinois, elected in 2005, became the fifth African American to serve and the third to be popularly elected. Tim Scott of South Carolina, appointed in 2013, became the first African American since Reconstruction to represent a southern state in the Senate. The appointment of Massachusetts Senator William “Mo” Cowan on February 1, 2013, marked the first time that two African Americans served simultaneously in the United States Senate.
Kamala Harris became California’s first African American senator on January 3, 2017, bringing the number of African Americans serving simultaneously to three. In January 2021, Raphael Warnock of Georgia won a run-off election, bringing the total number of African American senators to 11. Kamala Harris made history in November 2020 as the first woman and the first African American elected as Vice President of the United States, resigning her Senate seat on January 18, 2021.
List of African American Senators
- Hiram Revels of Mississippi – Hiram Revels, a native of Mississippi, achieved the historic milestone of becoming the first African American senator in 1870.
- Blanche K. Bruce – Following in his footsteps, Blanche K. Bruce was elected by the Mississippi state legislature in 1874, serving from 1875 to 1881. Notably, he became the first African American to preside over the Senate in 1879.
- Edward Brooke of Massachusetts – Edward Brooke of Massachusetts made history by being the first African American elected to the Senate through popular vote, serving two full terms from 1967 to 1979.
- Carol Moseley Braun – Carol Moseley Braun, a Democrat from Illinois, emerged as a trailblazer, serving in the United States Senate from 1993 to 1999. She not only represented the first female senator from Illinois but also became the first African American woman to serve in the Senate.
- Barack Obama – Barack Obama, who served in the Illinois state senate from 1997 to 2004, was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2004. Taking the oath of office on January 3, 2005, he became the fifth African American to serve in the Senate. Obama’s historic journey continued when he was elected as the 44th President of the United States on November 4, 2008, and later secured reelection in 2012.
- Roland W. Burris – Roland W. Burris, appointed to the Senate on December 31, 2008, filled the vacancy left by Barack Obama’s resignation, serving until November 29, 2010.
- Tim Scott – Tim Scott, appointed on January 2, 2013, made history as the first African American since Reconstruction to represent a southern state in the Senate. Beginning as a Republican in the 112th Congress, Scott served one term in the House of Representatives before his Senate appointment.
- William “Mo” Cowan – The appointment of William “Mo” Cowan from Massachusetts on February 1, 2013, marked a historic moment as two African Americans served simultaneously in the United States Senate.
- Cory A. Booker – Cory A. Booker became the first African American to represent New Jersey in the Senate on October 31, 2013.
- Kamala D. Harris – Kamala D. Harris, representing California, became the first African American senator from the state on January 3, 2017. On November 3, 2020, she shattered more barriers by becoming the first woman, African American, and Asian American elected Vice President of the United States alongside former Senator and Vice President Joe Biden of Delaware.
- Raphael G. Warnock – Raphael G. Warnock, representing Georgia, achieved a historic milestone on January 20, 2021, by becoming the first African American senator from the state.
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