M. Braun history

Her parents, Joseph Moseley, a policeman, and her mother, Edna (Davie) Moseley, a medical technician, divorced in 1963.

Moseley earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1972.

In 1973, Moseley married Michael Braun, whom she had met in law school.

In 1978 she won election to the Illinois state house of representatives, a position she held for a decade.

In 1979, he co-founded Crystal Farms, Inc. which later became one of the largest turkey operations in the Midwest.

Holiday Commission—an organization established in 1984 to promote national recognition of the holiday—Moseley-Braun helped thwart a Helms amendment to the legislation that would have replaced government money with private donations.

The couple raised a son, Matthew, but their marriage ended in divorce in 1986.

8Lynn Sweet, “A Braun Upset; First Defeat for Dixon in 42 Years,” 18 March 1992, Chicago Sun-Times: 1.

12Helen Dewar, “Senate Bows to Braun on Symbol of Confederacy,” 23 July 1993, Washington Post: A1.

14Mitchell Locin, “Moseley-Braun Tangles Anew With Helms,” 25 May 1994, Chicago Tribune: 4.

In 1995 she joined five of her women colleagues in the Senate to call for public hearings on alleged sexual misconduct by Senator Robert William Packwood of Oregon.18

In interviews recorded in 1999, Moseley Braun reflects upon her childhood, the development of a political philosophy, her entrance into political life, and the achievements and difficulties of her Senate career.

Attempting to revive her political career, Moseley-Braun entered the race for the Democratic nomination for President in 2000, but she was unsuccessful.

23“Ambassador Carol Moseley-Braun to Keynote SLDN National Dinner,” 7 March 2005, United States Newswire.

Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 2008.

In November 2010, following an announcement by Richard M. Daley that he would not seek re-election, Moseley Braun began a campaign for Mayor of Chicago.