Spouse(s) Alice Willson | Name J. Broughton Children 4 | |
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Died March 6, 1949, Washington, D.C., United States Education Wake Forest University, Harvard Law School | ||
Joseph Melville Broughton (November 17, 1888 – March 6, 1949) was the 60th Governor of North Carolina from 1941 to 1945. He later briefly served as a United States Senator from January 3, 1949 until his death in office approximately two months later.
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Biography
Broughton was born on November 17, 1888 in Raleigh, North Carolina. He graduated from Wake Forest College, where he also played football, in 1910. Broughton attended Harvard Law School then worked as a school principal and journalist before actively entering the legal profession. As governor, one of his major legacies was the extension of the public school term from six to nine months.
In 1948, Broughton was elected to the United States Senate, after defeating William B. Umstead, an appointed incumbent, in the Democratic primary. In November, Broughton won both a special election to complete the Senate term and an election for a full term. He took office on December 31, 1948, but his service in the Senate was brief, as he died on March 6, 1949 in Bethesda, Maryland.
Family
Joseph Melville Broughton, Jr. was the son of Joseph Melville Broughton, Sr. and Sallie Harris. He married Alice Wilson in 1916, they had four children. He was the nephew of Needham B. Broughton. He was interred at Montlawn Memorial Park in Raleigh.
Legacy
In 1959, the State Hospital at Morganton for psychiatric patients was renamed Broughton Hospital in his memory.
He was a member of Civitan International.