Brooks of Montpelier

Francis Brooks grew up in Alexandria, Virginia during the years of Jim Crow. He graduated from Norwich University in 1967 and remained in Vermont to teach school and raise his family. He taught and coached at Montpelier High School for thirty years influencing the lives of generations of Vermonters. In 1983, he became the third African American elected to the Vermont House of Representatives. For the next twenty-five years he held a variety of important positions and played a key role in passing historic legislation that guaranteed no Vermonter would be denied his or her rights because they were different. He served as Majority Leader, Chairman of the General and Military Committee and as member of the Appropriations Committee. Today, as the Sergeant-at-Arms he is responsible for the operation and security of the Vermont State House.