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Robert Brokenburr

1886–1974

United States

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Biography

Robert Lee Brokenburr (November 16, 1886 – March 24, 1974) was an American attorney, civil rights leader, and state legislator in Indiana. After several election campaigns, Brokenburr ran as a Republican for an Indiana Senate seat in 1940 and became the first African-American elected to the body where he served for 20 years. Prior to running for office, Brokenburr worked as counsel and general manager for the Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company while carrying on his own practice litigating civil rights cases.

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Wikipedia contributors — original record ↗

Black heritage reference ↗

Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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