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Tommie Broadwater Jr., the late “godfather” of Prince George’s County whose grip on power endured long after his political star had faded, exited public life on Monday as he had entered it nearly 50 years ago: making history.
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His casket flanked by police in dress uniform, Broadwater lay in repose at the county’s Upper Marlboro offices — a first for a state senator — signaling his impact on the county he’d helped transform over his 81 years.
Broadwater (D), who died July 11 at his home, was the first Black state senator and power broker from Prince George’s, elected at the vanguard of Black political power in what was then a predominantly White county. He rose from poverty to the halls of Annapolis in 1974. While his ascension was stunted nearly a decade later upon his conviction on fraud-related charges, he continued to exert influence and command respect — building a legacy the county marked weeks ago with a lifetime achievement celebration.
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“He was the voice of the people,” said Alexander Williams Jr., a retired U.S. District Court judge and former county state’s attorney who helped with Monday’s arrangements. “He carried a lot of our issues and concerns to Annapolis, and he interacted with other elected officials to bring back the goods and the bacon here in Prince George’s County.”
Broadwater had a reputation for getting things done — with loans, with advice, with strategy. And though his impropriety loomed over him for some years, for those who stopped to say goodbye on Monday, it was far outweighed by a legacy of mentorship, championship for his constituents and profound love of his family.
His friendship with Williams spanned decades. Broadwater offered advice as Williams ran for office in the 1980s. During Broadwater’s time as a bondsman, some of the people he helped out would become Williams’s clients when Williams was a young attorney.
Family members, friends and current and past county leaders stopped by to pay their respects ahead of a public funeral on Tuesday. Williams said he was heartened to see what he estimated to be hundreds of people pass before the casket, which was draped with a Maryland flag.
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Among those who came to offer condolences was Leslie Johnson, a former County Council member who said she and her husband, former county executive Jack B. Johnson, counted Broadwater among their cherished friends. The Johnsons, like Broadwater, had their own brush with scandal that led to federal charges and prison time.
“He helped to raise the next generation of leaders,” she said. “He mentored a lot of folks. He gave them sage advice. That, unfortunately, is unique also. It’s wonderful that he did that. But I wish more of our people would do that: raise and help and mentor the next group because we’re not going to be here forever.”
Prince George’s County Council Vice Chair Wala Blegay (D-District 6) said the county’s leaders are standing on the shoulders of people like Broadwater, who paved the way for successive generations.
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“When people talk about Black leadership, [and say] ‘We can’t wait to get there.’ We’ve gone there. And that’s because of him,” she told Broadwater’s family Monday. “You realize just how instrumental that was in a place that did not accept us.”
Broadwater’s campaigns and tenure created a space where being Black was not a barrier for public office in the county, she said. His contributions should be remembered, she said, just as Marion Barry is still fondly remembered by generations of Washingtonians.
“In Prince George’s County, we have an even more unique story. You go to a majority-White county where people called us names. Now it’s one of the richest African American communities in the country. That’s history,” she said. “He opened that door.”
Born in D.C. to a father who worked construction and a mother who worked as a cook, Broadwater was the second of 10 children. He grew up in Prince George’s County and attended segregated public schools. Focused as a child on his future, he earned the nickname Rocky — like Rockefeller — stacking play money and dreaming of a life he would later build.
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A successful entrepreneur, Broadwater built his empire in the county, owning businesses over the years that included a bail bond agency, a drive-through liquor store, a barbecue rib restaurant, a nightspot and a grocery store.
“Uncle Rocky,” as niece Kwakwea Stripling called him, retained his trademark humor through his last days.
He was the man who taught her as a child to act like she had $10 even if she had earned $20. And at the celebration in June, she was the one schooling him — with a poem detailing his outsize impact on her life.
“It was almost like he had his funeral, but he was alive,” Stripling said. “He was so happy he was crying.”
The day before his last, Stripling took her uncle out for clothes that would be easier to put on and remove for his many appointments — a serious task for a man who preferred slacks and button-downs to leisure wear.
They patronized a few stores and ate at a hibachi restaurant, laughing along the way.
“He was bragging about how much fun we had,” she said, remembering a joke he made about a new denim jacket. “He said, ‘Uh oh! Y’all trying to make the ladies run me down.’ I told him you still got it going on.”
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