Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) has become the longest-serving Black senator in U.S. history, as the 119th Congress begins on Friday.
Scott was appointed to the Senate in 2012 by then-Gov. Nikki Haley (R) after Sen. Jim DeMint (R) resigned. At the time, he was the first Black Republican senator since 1978 and the first Black Republican senator from the South since Reconstruction.
Before Scott, Republican Sen. Edward Brooke (Mass), who held office from 1967 until 1979, was the longest-serving Black senator.
This session, Scott will also serve as the first Black chairman of a Senate standing committee when he assumes the top spot on the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.
“My goal is simple: make America work for Americans,” Scott said in a statement. “As we get to work cleaning up the mess from the previous administration, I look forward to working with President Trump on his priorities, including paving a path for all Americans to have the necessary tools and resources to achieve their version of the American Dream. We will unlock opportunity, strengthen our nation, and make America the shining city on the Hill again.”