Cora Brown
Encyclopedia
Cora Mea Brown was the first African-American woman elected to a United States
state senate, winning a seat in the Michigan State Senate in 1952.
. At the age of eight she and her family moved to Detroit, Michigan
. There her father established a tailor shop.
and entered Fisk University
, a historically African-American college in Tennessee
. There she studied sociology. She returned to Detroit to attend Wayne State University
's law school while working with the Detroit Police
Department. She graduated from Wayne State in 1948. That same year Brown passed the bar exam.
, but clashed with some of her fellow Democrats because she believed they were too heavily influenced by a federation of industrial unions, the CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations
). This prompted Brown to switch to the Republican Party. She supported Dwight D. Eisenhower
when he ran in the 1956 election for president. In 1956 she was a candidate in the Democratic Primary for U.S. representative from Michigan's 1st District. The year afterwards she was appointed postmaster.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state senate, winning a seat in the Michigan State Senate in 1952.
Early life
Cora was Richard and Alice Brown's only child born in Bessemer, AlabamaBessemer, Alabama
Bessemer is a city outside of Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States eight miles west of Hoover. The population was 29,672 at the 2000 Census, but by the 2009 U.S...
. At the age of eight she and her family moved to Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. There her father established a tailor shop.
Education
In 1931, Brown graduated from Cass Technical High SchoolCass Technical High School
The Cass Tech Technicians football team is a high school football program in Division 1 Public School League, representing the prestigious Cass Technical High School in Detroit, MI. Cass Tech High School has long been recognized nationwide for its extraordinary football program dating back to its...
and entered Fisk University
Fisk University
Fisk University is an historically black university founded in 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. The world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers started as a group of students who performed to earn enough money to save the school at a critical time of financial shortages. They toured to raise funds to...
, a historically African-American college in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. There she studied sociology. She returned to Detroit to attend Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
's law school while working with the Detroit Police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
Department. She graduated from Wayne State in 1948. That same year Brown passed the bar exam.
Politics
In 1950 Brown ran for a seat on the Michigan State Senate but was defeated. On November 4, 1952, she ran again and won, and served for two terms (1953–1956). A Michigan state senate term is approximately two years. She served as the state senator for the 2nd district during her first term and served for the 3rd district during her second term. Brown fought strongly for civil rightsCivil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
, but clashed with some of her fellow Democrats because she believed they were too heavily influenced by a federation of industrial unions, the CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...
). This prompted Brown to switch to the Republican Party. She supported Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
when he ran in the 1956 election for president. In 1956 she was a candidate in the Democratic Primary for U.S. representative from Michigan's 1st District. The year afterwards she was appointed postmaster.