PR203
Blanche K. Bruce Signed Land Deed
1890
Printed release document for a land sale in Washington, D. C., signed by former slave and U. S. Senator of Blanche K. Bruce as Recorder of Deeds in 1890. Bruce (1841-1898) served until 1893. A former slave who became a prominent Mississippi planter and politician, Bruce was elected as U. S. Senator by the Mississippi state legislature in 1874.
Serving from 1875 to1881, he was the first black man to serve a full term in the Senate and, in 1879, became the first black man to preside over the Senate, as well. He fought for more liberal land grants for black emigrants and appealed for the
desegregation of U. S. Army units. His government service in Washington also included two tenures as Registrar of the U. S. Treasury (1881-1889 and 1895-1898).
Serving from 1875 to1881, he was the first black man to serve a full term in the Senate and, in 1879, became the first black man to preside over the Senate, as well. He fought for more liberal land grants for black emigrants and appealed for the
desegregation of U. S. Army units. His government service in Washington also included two tenures as Registrar of the U. S. Treasury (1881-1889 and 1895-1898).
