A new biography by John W. Frece – “Self-Destruction: The rise, fall, and redemption of U.S. Senator Daniel B. Brewster” – is available now
Foreword by Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Brewster’s bitterly fought victory over segregationist Governor George C. Wallace in Maryland’s 1964 Presidential Primary helped clear the way for congressional passage of landmark Civil Rights Act
Baltimore, Md. – Hollywood handsome Danny Brewster had it all: inherited wealth, stellar education, decorated combat Marine, prestigious horse farm, and even a seat in the United States Senate. He helped pass some of the most important civil rights legislation in our history, and provided the first political jobs to future House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Then, debilitated by alcoholism, he self-destructed and lost it all.
A new biography of Brewster’s life of enormous ups and downs – “Self-Destruction: The rise, fall, and redemption of U.S. Senator Daniel B. Brewster” – is available now. It was published by the Apprentice House Press at Loyola University of Maryland.
This book is the fourth written by John W. Frece, a longtime legislative reporter with the Baltimore Sun and United Press International.
Raised in Baltimore County horse country, Brewster attended Gilman, the St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H., and Princeton University before dropping out to enlist in the United States Marine Corps on the first anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Brewster experienced savage fighting in the South Pacific, including the three-month-long, kill-or-be-killed siege of Okinawa. Brewster was wounded seven times, including by one bullet that tore through his helmet.
“Reexamining the life and legacy of Senator Brewster is particularly timely at this pivotal moment in our nation’s history, in light of our renewed struggle for racial
justice,” writes Pelosi in the foreword. “Danny showed notable political courage in helping pave the way for progress on civil rights. … He was the only Senator from south of the Mason-Dixon Line to co-sponsor both the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.”
Pelosi continues, “John Frece’s honest, meticulous narrative for the first time shines a bright light on Senator Danny Brewster: a consequential leader whose two decades in public office helped shape the history of both my beloved home state and our entire nation. As his good friend, I am grateful that his story will finally, fully be told.”
The pages that follow tell the story of a tumultuous life that included three marriages and 12 victorious elections, the last of which was as a surrogate for President Lyndon B. Johnson in Maryland’s 1964 Presidential Primary. Brewster’s victory over the segregationist Alabama governor, George C. Wallace, was credited with clearing the way for Congress to enact the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Brewster co-sponsored that historic legislation as well as the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the only Democratic senator from a state south of the Mason-Dixon line to do so.
The bitter Wallace election, in which Brewster was booed, cursed, and spat upon by Marylanders opposed to civil rights, left the young Senator shaken. He began drinking heavily, a problem that became public by the time he lost re-election in 1968 to his longtime friend, Republican Charles McC. Mathias, Jr. After leaving office, Brewster was accused of accepting bribes, a legal ordeal that dragged on for six ruinous years.
He then started his third act: He quit drinking, married Judy Aarsand, a woman he met in rehab, and became a doting father to their two daughters and son. He helped other recovering alcoholics and was named to hospital boards and government commissions. Gradually, he brushed the tarnish off his reputation and found equilibrium and happiness in his life.
About John W. Frece
This is the fourth book by former Baltimore Sun State House bureau chief John W. Frece. He previously co-authored the autobiographies of Senator Joseph D. Tydings and Governor Harry R. Hughes, both of Maryland. As a former gubernatorial aide, Frece also wrote an insider’s tale of the internal political machinations surrounding the passage of Governor Parris N. Glendening’s controversial land use program, Smart Growth. Frece is married to children’s book author, Priscilla Cummings, and they have two grown children, William and Hannah.
Quotes on Brewster:
“Daniel Brewster’s legacy can be found in his commitment to civil rights, his ability to find strength through adversity, and his devotion to the state of Maryland and its people,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“We need to acknowledge the depths of his fall from privilege and victory to understand the courage and grace of his ascent to the gentle man of decency and principle that he had been and would remain,” said Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.
The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said of Brewster: “The devotees of civil rights in this country and freedom loving people the world over are greatly indebted to you for your support in passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
President Lyndon B. Johnson stated, “When the going was tough, and when the campaign was rough, Maryland produced a courageous and a valiant senator to uphold my hand, and he stood in for me when I couldn’t be here – my old and good and trusted and beloved friend, your great Senator Danny Brewster.”
