Washington ( CNN ) Edward Brooke -- the first African-American to be popularly elected to the U.S. Senate -- passed away Saturday , according to family spokesman Ralph Neas and the Massachusetts Republican Party . Brooke was 95 . Brooke served in the Senate from 1967-1979 and has often been heralded by both parties as a trailblazer . He is the only African-American to be elected to a second term and was the first black Republican elected to the Senate since Reconstruction . President Barack Obama hailed Brooke as someone who led `` an extraordinary life of public service . '' `` As the first African-American elected as a state 's Attorney General and first African-American U.S . Senator elected after reconstruction , Ed Brooke stood at the forefront of the battle for civil rights and economic fairness . During his time in elected office , he sought to build consensus and understanding across partisan lines , always working towards practical solutions to our nation 's challenges , '' the President said in a statement Saturday night . Brooke grew up in a racially divided Washington , D.C. and after graduating college he served in the Army during World War II later receiving a Bronze Star . After his military service , he moved to Massachusetts and attended law school . Later he would enter politics -- first winning the position of Massachusetts attorney general in 1962 . Four years later he ran for the Senate and won . `` Massachusetts has a history of sending giants to the United States Senate , great statesmen like Quincy Adams , Webster , Cabot Lodge , and Kennedy . We count Ed Brooke among them . He carried the added honor and burden of being 'the first ' and did so with distinction and grace . I have lost a friend and mentor . America has lost a superb example of selfless service . Diane and I extend our deepest condolences to the Brooke family , '' Massachusetts Gov . Deval Patrick , a Democrat , said in a statement Saturday . Leaders of both parties Saturday honored Brooke honoring his career and praising his lasting legacy . `` He was never partisan or wedded to party interests , '' civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis ( D-Georgia ) recounted . `` He was a champion for whatever he believed was right . He was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and added an important open-housing requirement to the act . He also crafted the Brooke Amendment a year later which capped the financial responsibility of public housing applicants to no more than 25 percent of a poor person 's income . '' `` America mourns the loss of a trailblazer who will always be remembered as a model of courage and honesty in office : Senator Edward W. Brooke . Senator Brooke 's accomplishments remind us that anything is possible in our country . It 's a proud legacy that paved the way for others . And it 's a proud legacy that will live on into history , '' incoming Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement . `` Massachusetts has a history of sending giants to the United States Senate , great statesmen like Quincy Adams , Webster , Cabot Lodge , and Kennedy . We count Ed Brooke among them . He carried the added honor and burden of being 'the first ' and did so with distinction and grace . I have lost a friend and mentor . America has lost a superb example of selfless service . '' Massachusetts Gov . Deval Patrick , a Democrat , said in a statement Saturday . While in the Senate he played a key part in the passage of civil rights and low-income housing bills earning him the title `` Mr . Housing . '' `` A decorated war hero , this Massachusetts Republican was a highly respected legislator responsible for shaping our nation 's laws and ensuring equal rights for all men and women . The Massachusetts Republican Party is proud to have had Senator Brooke as one of our party 's leaders , '' Massachusetts Republican Party Chairman Kirsten Hughes said Saturday . He took some liberal positions while he served his two terms in the Senate and at times opposed three of President Richard Nixon 's Supreme Court nominees . Sen. Tim Scott , of South Carolina , the only black Republican serving in the Senate , said he was `` deeply saddened '' by the news Saturday , on his Twitter account . `` Deeply saddened by the loss of Senator Edward Brooke . He was a true trailblazer ; those of us who followed can not thank him enough , '' Scott tweeted . The popular Brooke faced some controversy at the end of his Senate tenure after a probe of his personal finances following a divorce . `` It was just a divorce case , '' he told the Boston Globe in a 2000 interview . `` It was never about my work in the Senate . There was never a charge that I committed a crime , or even nearly committed a crime . '' Brooke passed away early Saturday morning at his home in Florida of natural causes according to Neas .
Former Massachusetts Republican Sen. Edward Brooke died Saturday at the age of 95 . He was the first black Republican senator elected to office since Reconstruction . Leaders from both parties -- including the President -- mourn his death and praised his work in the legislative body .