 |
 Blanche Kelso Bruce
was the first black to serve a full term in the
United States Senate. He was elected by the
Mississippi Legislature in 1874, and served from
1875 until 1881. He was so respected by his
fellow politicians that, in 1880 and 1888, he
even received votes for Vice-President at the
Democratic National Conventions. |
 William Jennings Bryan
was a passionate advocate for the free coinage of
silver, a cause he championed throughout two
terms in the U.S. Senate and in his 1896 campaign
for President. As Secretary of State, he worked
hard to promote world peace and keep the U.S. out
of World War I. His last major campaign was
centered on outlawing the teaching of evolution
in public schools, a campaign that ultimately
cost him his life. |
 Hamilton Fish
served as Secretary of State from 1869 to 1877.
During his tenure he was responsible for settling
four major international disputes, three of which
directly involved the United States. He also
negotiated a treaty with the Kingdom of Hawaii
that virtually incorporated the islands into the
economic system of the United States. |
 Frederick Funston
was a botanist who went on dangerous plant
collecting expeditions to Death Valley and
Alaska, a soldier who helped Cuba fight for its
independence from Spain and then served in the
Spanish-American War, and a U.S. Army General who
helped restore order in San Francisco after the
devastating earthquake of 1906. |
 Belva Ann Lockwood
became the first woman to be admitted to practice
before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1879. Once
admitted she racked up a very impressive record
of victories, including the largest payment ever
awarded to a Native American tribe for land taken
by the U.S. government. |
 Richard Olney
was serving as Attorney General of the U.S.
during the Pullman Strike, and in that capacity
issued orders that led to the arrest and
imprisonment of the strike leaders. As Secretary
of State, he played a prominent role in ending a
boundary dispute between the British and
Venezuelan governments. |
 Redfield Proctor
served as Secretary of War under Benjamin
Harrison. As a U.S. Senator he made a trip to
Cuba that ultimately helped propel the United
States into the Spanish-American War. |
 Hiram Rhodes Revels
was the first black to be elected to the U.S.
Senate, where he served from 1870 to 1871. |
 Edmund Gibson Ross
was a U.S. Senator from Kansas who is
best known for casting the deciding vote against
the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson in
1868, an action which put him at odds with the
rest of the Republican Party. |
 Carl
Schurz was a German immigrant who
served his adopted country as a Union Army
General, U.S. Senator, and Secretary of the
Interior. |
 Jeremiah Simpson
acquired the nickname "Sockless Jerry"
while campaigning for a seat in the U.S. House of
Representatives, where he served from 1891 to
1899. Although he won the seat by playing the
"country bumpkin," he proved his
intelligence while serving in that seat. |
