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 . The former U.S. ambassador to China and a longtime member of Congress from Massachusetts, he served in both houses for more than three decades before becoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during President Bill Clinton's second term.
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 .