Blanche Bruce signed album page “B.K. Bruce Miss”. Bruce was a former slave who went on to become the first African-American to serve a full term in the United States Senate. The format of an autograph album page and his adding “Mississippi” suggests this was signed while a Senator. There is a portion of a small newspaper article pasted down to the page. On the other side is an autograph from Chicago businessman Potter Palmer, founder of the famed Palmer House Hotel. Bruce is not an easy signature to find and most seem to be on documents rather than anything from the Senate. [#4746]
