Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center
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E PLURIBUS UNUM —
OUT OF MANY, ONE

HISTORY OF CONGRESS
AND THE CAPITOL

Blanche K. Bruce

Certificate of Election for Senator Blanche Bruce, 1875

Certificate of Election for Senator Blanche Bruce, 1875

 

Certificate of Election for Senator Blanche Bruce, 1875

Blanche Bruce of Mississippi was the first African-American to serve a full term in the Senate (1875–1881), and the first to preside over the chamber.

Records of the U.S. Senate, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.

 
History of Congress and the Capitol