Ben Cardin: “the State of Maryland and the United States lost a brave and committed public servant last month. Former Senator Daniel…”

“the State of Maryland and the United States lost a brave and committed public servant last month. Former Senator Daniel Brewster, who served in this esteemed Chamber during the 1960s, died of cancer on August 19. Few Americans have the political ancestry of Senator Brewster, who was a direct descendant of Ben Franklin and the former Attorney General for President Chester Arthur. Public service came naturally to this man, whose life and work showed his commitment to our country. He first gave to this country through his military service as a decorated war hero, wounded seven times during his service in Guam and Okinawa. Then he served as an elected official for 18 years. He served in the Maryland House of Delegates starting in 1950, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1958 and then to the Senate in 1962. Senator Brewster first came to politics as an advocate for civil rights. In his own Baltimore neighborhood, neighbors complained when he invited African-American servicemen from World War II to his home. This was an outrage to him. He would never slight a person, particularly soldiers who had courageously served to defend the American flag. Senator Brewster went on to cosponsor the Civil Rights Act of 1964, forever changing the course of history in this country.”