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Quick Facts
- NAME: Carol Moseley Braun
- OCCUPATION: Civil Rights Activist, Women's Rights Activist, U.S. Representative
- BIRTH DATE: August 16, 1947 (Age: 65)
- EDUCATION: University of Illinois, University of Illinois College of Law
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Chicago, Illinois
- ZODIAC SIGN: Leo
Best Known For
A leading African American political figure, Carol Moseley Braun was the first African American woman to be elected to the US Senate.
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Play NowCarol Moseley Braun. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 07:34, May 23, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/carol-moseley-braun-205626.
Carol Moseley Braun. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/carol-moseley-braun-205626 [Accessed 23 May 2013].
"Carol Moseley Braun." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 23 2013, 07:34 http://www.biography.com/people/carol-moseley-braun-205626.
"Carol Moseley Braun," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/carol-moseley-braun-205626 [accessed May 23, 2013].
"Carol Moseley Braun," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/carol-moseley-braun-205626 (accessed May 23, 2013).
Carol Moseley Braun [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 23] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/carol-moseley-braun-205626.
Carol Moseley Braun, http://www.biography.com/people/carol-moseley-braun-205626 (last visited May 23, 2013).
Carol Moseley Braun. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/carol-moseley-braun-205626. Accessed May 23, 2013.
Synopsis
Early Career
Politician, Senator, lawyer, educator. Born Carol Elizabeth Moseley on August 16, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois. A leading African American political figure, Moseley Braun’s career has been marked by great successes and missteps. She graduated from University of Illinois in 1969 with a degree in political science and then went on to the university’s law school. Moseley Braun earned her law degree in 1972 and began working as assistant United States attorney in Chicago the next year.Moseley Braun held her first political post as a Democratic representative to Illinois House of Representatives, beginning in 1978. As a representative, she was known as an advocate for social change, working for reforms in education, government, and healthcare. In 1988, she took another challenge. She was elected recorder of deeds for Cook County, Illinois and oversaw hundreds of employees and the public agency’s multimillion budget.
First Black Woman Elected to the Senate
In 1992, Moseley Braun made the leap to the national political arena. She ran for the U.S. Senate, looking to unseat incumbent Democratic senator Alan Dixon in the Democratic primary. Up against a seasoned politician who had spent decades in office, Moseley Braun appeared to be the underdog. But many responded to Moseley Braun as a chance for political change. She won the primary, but faced another tough opponent in Republican Richard Williamson. Williamson tried to capitalize on Moseley Braun’s mishandling of a tax situation. Although the scandal marred her campaign, she won the election. Moseley Braun became the first African American woman to be elected to the Senate.As a senator, Moseley Braun tackled many issues, including women’s rights and civil rights. She served on several committees, including the powerful Senate Finance Committee. Moseley Braun continued to support educational reforms and called for more restrictive gun control laws. Her time in office, however, was affected by claims that she misused funds from her 1992 campaign, spending the money on personal expenses. While no charges were ever filed, this allegation clung to Moseley Braun as she sought re-election in 1998.
Post-Senate Work
Her re-election campaign was also hindered by her Republican opponent Peter Fitzgerald. A self-financed candidate, Fitzgerald didn’t have restrictions on how much he could spend during his campaign. He won the election by a close margin. After leaving office, Moseley Braun was appointed U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa by President Bill Clinton in 1999. She left the post at the end of the Clinton administration. A career-long advocate for education, Moseley Braun then taught at Morris Brown College.profile name: Carol Moseley Braun profile occupation:
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Influential Women of Washington
View groupWhen the 19th Amendment was ratified, women were finally given the right to vote, and over the years many courageous women have stepped onto the national political stage as well. In 1916, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to Congress and almost a century later Sonia Sotomayor became the first Latina woman to serve on the Supreme Court. And within the last two decades, the esteemable Hillary Clinton has served as First Lady, a New York senator and Secretary of State. These women, and many more, are setting the stage for the future of female leaders in Washington.
Visit Biography.com's Women's History group to explore more biographies, photos and videos of some the world's most fascinating women."
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View groupAfrican-Americans have a long history of activism in America, from fighting for the right to vote to pushing for integrated public spaces. Activists like Stokely Carmichael organized freedom rides, James Meredith fought to integrate blacks and whites at the University of Mississippi, and Rosa Parks instigated the Montgomery Bus Boycott. These protests were often legal and nonviolent, and made a powerful impact on civil rights in the United States. With the help of activists like these—and many others—the country slowly worked to acknowledge the basic rights and contributions of African-Americans. Activists outisde of the U.S. include Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, who have fought against apartheid in South Africa. Learn more about the many black activists who fought against the odds in order to achieve equality.
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