Moseley Braun, << brawn, >> Carol (1947-…), was the first African American woman elected to the United States Senate. A Democrat from Illinois, she held office from 1993 to 1999. From 1999 to 2001, she served as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand. In 2003, she declared her candidacy for the 2004 Democratic nomination for president of the United States. However, insufficient voter support and funding caused Moseley Braun to drop out of the race in early 2004.
Carol Elizabeth Moseley was born on Aug. 16, 1947, in Chicago. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in 1969. In 1972, she earned a law degree from the University of Chicago, where she met her future husband, Michael Braun. She and Braun were married in 1973. The couple divorced in 1986.
Carol Moseley Braun was an assistant U.S. attorney from 1973 to 1977. She served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1979 to 1989, when she became the recorder of deeds in Cook County, Illinois.
Moseley Braun was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992. She won strong support from women in her election. She said she had decided to run for the Senate because she wanted to bring about change. She was unhappy with the fact that the Senate had confirmed Clarence Thomas as a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States despite claims that he had sexually harassed a female co-worker.
In the Senate, Moseley Braun became known for her efforts to increase government support of education. She and California Senator Dianne Feinstein were the first women to serve on the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee.
Moseley Braun ran for reelection to the Senate in 1998 but did not win a second term. In 1999, President Bill Clinton appointed her ambassador to New Zealand. Moseley Braun held the post until 2001. In 2006, she started an organic food company.
