J. Melville Broughton

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"Senator Broughton" redirects here. For the North Carolina State Senate member, see

J. Melville Broughton Jr.

from

In office

December 31, 1948 – March 6, 1949

Preceded by

Succeeded by

60th

In office

January 9, 1941 – January 4, 1945

Preceded by

Succeeded by

Personal details

Born

Joseph Melville Broughton

Jr.

November 17, 1888

U.S.

Died

March 6, 1949

(aged 60)

, U.S.

Spouse

Children

Joseph Melville Broughton Jr.

(November 17, 1888 – March 6, 1949) was an

American politician who served as the

from

1941 to 1945.

He later briefly served as a

from January

3, 1949, until his death in office approximately two months later.

Early life and education

[

]

Broughton was born on November 17, 1888, in

. He

graduated from

, where he also played football, in 1910.

Broughton attended

then worked as a school principal and

journalist before actively entering the legal profession.

Political career

[

]

He served in the

from 1927 to 1929. He later served one

term as governor from 1941 to 1945. Identified with progressive politics, as

characterized by his support of the social justice legislation of the

Roosevelt Administration,

a number of reforms were carried out during his

term as governor.

One of his major legacies was the extension of the public

school term from six to nine months.

The

describes

Broughton as the typical white moderate of the time. Broughton advocated for

the improvement of the lives of

, such as equalizing the

salaries of black and white teachers and improving their housing. In one

instance, Broughton even helped stop a lynching and then punish the leaders of

the mob.

In August 1941, Broughton deployed the

protect Cy Winstead, a black man accused of raping a white woman, after

Winstead was nearly lynched in

. Afterwards, Broughton

had the police investigate the mobs, expressing interest in punishing the

ringleaders.

Ten white men was charged.

To local shock, five of the men,

Coy Harris, A.P. Spriggs, P.I. Holt, Johnny Holt, and Willie Aiken were found

guilty on April 24, 1942. A jury acquitted them of the more serious charge of

inciting to riot, but found them guilty of unlawful assembly for an unlawful

purpose, a misdemeanor punishable by up to two years in prison. Harris and

Spriggs were each sentenced to 18 months in the county jail, while the other

three were sentenced to 12 months in the county jail. The jury had recommended

mercy for the Colt brothers, whereas Aiken was the only defendant who did not

deny his guilt.

The verdict shocked the public, which had been sympathetic

to the mob.

In June 1942, 2,000 people submitted a petition demanding the

parole or pardon of those convicted.

Harris, Spriggs, P.L. Holt, and Aiken

were paroled on July 23, 1942. Johnny Holt was denied parole since he was the

prime suspect in a robbery in

He was paroled some time between then and 1943, and all six men were

discharged from parole in September 1943. Winstead himself later pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit rape

and was sentenced to two and a half years to five years in prison.

In February 1943, the Person County chapter of

the NAACP petitioned for his parole, expressing doubt over Winstead's guilt. However, Winstead refused to apply for

parole, finding the conditions to be too strict.

Nevertheless, Broughton resisted threats to segregation. In 1942, he urged African Americans not to start making

demands at home as a result of

"Negroes are ill-advised if they take the position they are for victory in this war if something is to be done

for them. Negroes should put their full energy into the war effort, for failure means slavery of the worst sort

for white and Negro alike. The man or woman who uses this emergency as a means of stirring up strife between

the races is not a friend to either race and is not a good American."

In 1943, Broughton wrote, "We believe in a policy of purity and high standard as to both races and we recognize the

principle that race distinction does not imply race discrimination." He spurned criticism from the

and claimed

that racism had no impact on North Carolina's judicial system.

Governor Broughton and First

Lady Broughton welcoming U.S.

Servicemen to the North Carolina

Executive Mansion in 1941.

Broughton was among twelve nominated at the

serve as

's running mate in the

Tenure in Senate

[

]

In 1948, Broughton was elected to the United States Senate, after defeating

, 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.

Appearing healthy, Broughton suddenly collapsed from a heart attack and died in Washington, D.C., on March 6, 1949.

Governor

appointed

to fill his vacant office until the next election.

Family

[

]

Broughton's residence in Raleigh

Joseph Melville Broughton, Jr. was

the son of Joseph Melville Broughton and Sallie

Harris. He married

in 1916, they had four children. He was the nephew

and a first cousin of

He was

also a first cousin of medical doctor and Baptist minister

Broughton and his wife lived in the

, a Georgian Revival mansion located in Raleigh's

, before and after living in the

He was interred at Montlawn

Memorial Park in Raleigh.

Legacy

[

]

In 1959, the State Hospital at

for

patients was renamed

in his memory.

addition, Broughton Hall at

was named in his honor.

He was a member of