Authorized by Public Law 110-260, this medal is a bronze duplicate of the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to Senator Edward William Brooke III in recognition of his unprecedented and enduring service to our Nation. Brooke was the first African-American elected by popular vote to the United States Senate and served with distinction for two terms from January 3, 1967, to January 3, 1979.
The obverse, designed and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Don Everhart, features an image of Brooke with the inscription EDWARD WILLIAM BROOKE on the right side.
The reverse depicts the United Sates Capitol Building at the top of the medal and the Massachusetts State House at the bottom between two olive branches. The center of the design showcases the inscription AMERICA’S GREATNESS LIES IN ITS WONDROUS DIVERSITY, OUR MAGNIFICENT PLURALISM HAS MADE THIS COUNTRY GREAT, OUR EVER-WIDENING DIVERSITY WILL KEEP US GREAT. Additional inscriptions are ACT OF CONGRESS 2008, and MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE. It was designed and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Phebe Hemphill.
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Design: | Obverse – Don Everhart Reverse – Phebe Hemphill |
Struck Under Authority of: | Public Law 110-260 |
Place Minted: | Philadelphia Mint (no mint mark) |
Composition: | Bronze |
Program Information: Program Information: Authorized by Public Law 110-260, this medal honors Senator Edward William Brooke III for his unprecedented and enduring service to our Nation. Brooke was the first African-American elected by popular vote to the United States Senate and served with distinction for two terms from January 3, 1967, to January 3, 1979. His many accomplishments include:
- Serving as chairman of the Boston Finance Commission, where he established an outstanding record of confronting and eliminating graft and corruption and proposed groundbreaking legislation for consumer protection and against housing discrimination and air pollution;
- Serving as attorney general of Massachusetts – the first African-American in the Nation to serve as a state attorney general;
- Serving in the Army in the segregated 366th Infantry Regiment during World War II, attaining the rank of captain and earning a Bronze Star Medal for “heroic or meritorious achievement or service” and the Distinguished Service Award;
- Being appointed to the President’s Commission on Civil Disorders, where his work on discrimination in housing would serve as the basis for the 1968 Civil Rights Act; and
- Receiving many high honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit from the Government of Italy, a state courthouse in Massachusetts being named in his honor, the NAACP Spingarn Medal, and the Charles Evans Hughes Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
This medal is a bronze replica of the Congressional Gold Medal presented to Senator Brooke at a ceremony at the United States Capitol Building on October 28, 2009.
Shipping Information: Shipping Information:
Please allow 1-2 weeks for shipping.
Purchase Information: Purchase Information: To ensure that all members of the public have fair and equal access to United States Mint products, any order placed prior to the official on-sale date and time of December 1, 2009, 12:00 Noon (ET) shall not be deemed accepted by the United States Mint and will not be honored.
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