Meet Carol Moseley Braun, the First African-American Woman Elected to the U.S Senate

Carol Moseley Braun jokingly describes herself as a “recovering politician” who is on her fourth career. She currently is the Founder and Manager of Good Food Organics, a beverage company specializing in certified organic coffees, teas, cocoa and olive oil. She began her career as an Assistant United States Attorney (Northern District of Illinois, 1973-1977), and then went on to be Assistant Majority leader in the Illinois General Assembly (1978-1988), a county Executive (Recorder of Deeds, 1988-1992), a United States Senator (1992-1998) and United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa (1998-2001).

She ran for President (2002), but withdrew before the Iowa primary vote.  She was the first woman to serve on the Senate Finance committee, and is the first African American woman to ever be elected to the US Senate. She holds a B.A. from the University of Illinois (1968) and a J.D. from the University of Chicago (1972). She has received more than 200 awards for public service, including eleven Honorary Doctorates.  In 2002, a newly constructed elementary school was named in her honor. The school team is called the Ambassadors.

Moseley Braun has taught both undergraduate and graduate school classes in Political Science and Business Law. She serves on the Board of the National Organization for Women (NOW), the diplomatic advisory committee for the WW1 Commission, the Board of North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company, and is principal of CMB1 LLC.  

In 2007, Carol Moseley Braun was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame as a Friend of the Community. She is also on the advisory board of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.

Culled from Northwestern.edu

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