1966 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

1966 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

November 8, 1966

Nominee Edward Brooke Endicott Peabody Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,213,473 774,761 Percentage 60.68% 38.74%

Municipal results

U.S. senator before election Leverett Saltonstall Republican Elected U.S. Senator Edward Brooke Republican

The 1966 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 8, 1966. Republican incumbent Leverett Saltonstall retired after serving for 22 years. Republican Massachusetts Attorney General Edward Brooke defeated Democratic former Governor of Massachusetts Endicott Peabody in a landslide.

Brooke was the first African-American U.S. Senator elected after the end of Reconstruction and the first ever popularly elected, as Reconstruction ended before the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Edward Brooke, Massachusetts Attorney General since 1963

Declined

• Leverett Saltonstall, incumbent Senator since 1945

Results

Attorney General Edward Brooke was unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Thomas Boylston Adams, academic and member of the Adams political family
• John F. Collins, Mayor of Boston
• Endicott Peabody, former Governor of Massachusetts

Results

1966 Democratic U.S. Senate primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Endicott Peabody	320,967	50.35%
	Democratic	John F. Collins	265,016	41.85%
	Democratic	Thomas Boylston Adams	51,435	8.07%
Total votes			637,418	100.00%

Independents and third parties

Socialist Workers

• Lawrence Gilfedder, perennial candidate

Prohibition

• Mark R. Shaw, perennial candidate and nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1964

General election

Results

General election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Edward Brooke	1,213,473	60.68%	4.49
	Democratic	Endicott Peabody	774,761	38.74%	4.72
	Socialist Labor	Lawrence Gilfedder	6,790	0.34%	0.10
	Prohibition	Mark R. Shaw	4,833	0.24%	0.12
Total votes			1,999,857	100.00%

See also

• 1966 United States Senate elections

External links and references

• Race details at ourcampaigns.com