[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 94 (Monday, July 7, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6906-S6907]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO J. MELVILLE BROUGHTON, JR
Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, North Carolina lost a very special, very
valuable and very distinguished leader this past April. He was known
affectionately and respectfully across our State, and far beyond in
every direction, simply as Mel Broughton. His full name was J. Melville
Broughton, Jr., but you seldom heard all of that name.
Mel Broughton, by all measurements, was one of those nature's
noblemen who comes along only once in a while. Though his family was
one of North Carolina's most distinguished, Mel Broughton was one of
the least pretentious men I have ever known.
His grandfather was North Carolina's Governor during the World War II
years, 1941 to 1944. And in November 1948, former Governor Broughton
was elected to the U.S. Senate. But fate was to allow Senator Broughton
to serve in the U.S. Senate only a few months, because he had been
sworn in as a Senator shortly after his having been elected in November
1948 but he died of a heart attack the following March.
Incidentally, Mr. President, misfortune hovered over North Carolina
throughout the 10-year period between the late 1940's and the following
10 years. Our State had a succession of 10 U.S. Senators during that
decade. Five of them died in office; three were defeated in their
reelection bids; and the two surviving Senators of that decade were Sam
J. Ervin, Jr. and B. Everett Jordan. Senator Ervin served 20 years;
Senator Jordan served 17.
But let me return, Mr. President, to Mel Broughton, Jr., who was
honored by North Carolina's general assembly on June 26 of this year
when both Houses of our State legislature adopted ``A joint resolution
honoring the life and memory of J. Melville Broughton, Jr.''
As that resolution states, Mel Broughton was devoted to North
Carolina and to the people of our State. And he served in countless
ways. Only once did he venture into Federal service, and that was when
President Ford nominated him to serve on the board of directors of the
U.S. Legal Services Corporation. And during those years, one of his
colleagues on the Legal Services Corporation board was a young lady who
today is the First Lady of America, Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Mr. President, needless to say, Dot Helms and I have long been
devoted to the Mel Broughton family. As a matter of fact, Mel's
parents, Governor and Mrs. Broughton, were very dear to us and
thoughtful to us in so many ways.
And last, but certainly not least, I am privileged that Mel
Broughton's son--one of them--whom all of us call Jimmy, is
administrative assistant and
[[Page S6907]]
thereby leader of the Helms Senate family. I do not have a staff. The
fine, dedicated people in our offices are truly a family.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the text of the June 26, 1997,
resolution adopted by the North Carolina General Assembly honoring Mel
Broughton be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Joint Resolution by the General Assembly of North Carolina June 26,
1997 Honoring the Life and Memory of J. Melville Broughton, Jr.--June
26, 1997
Whereas, J. Melville Broughton, Jr., a lifelong resident of
the City of Raleigh was born on March 24, 1922, and attended
Wake Forest University, Duke University, and graduated from
the University of North Carolina School of Law; and
Whereas, J. Melville Broughton, Jr., proudly served his
country in World War II as a First Lieutenant in the United
States Marine Corps; and
Whereas, following his admission to the North Carolina
State Bar, J. Melville Broughton, Jr., served for four years
as a prosecutor in Raleigh Municipal Court and then entered
the general practice of law with the firm founded by his
father (now known as Broughton, Wilkins, Webb and Sugg) where
he remained for 45 years; and
Whereas, from 1957 to 1961, J. Melville Broughton, Jr.,
served as Chairman of the North Carolina Highway Commission,
and later under Governor Dan K. Moore served as the Chairman
of the North Carolina Democratic Party; and finally in 1968,
ran for the Democratic nomination for Governor against then
Lieutenant Governor Robert Scott and Reginald Hawkins,
finishing second in the primary; and
Whereas, J. Melville Broughton, Jr., was devoted to his
State above all else and counted among his friends and those
he supported at the polls both Democrats and Republicans;
and, indeed, his bipartisanship was such that in 1975,
President Gerald Ford nominated him to the National Legal
Services Board, which was dedicated to providing legal
representation to indigent persons; and
Whereas, J. Melville Broughton, Jr., was an active and
lifelong member of Christ Episcopal Church in Raleigh and was
involved in the Laubach Literacy national movement; and
Whereas, J. Melville Broughton, Jr., was a beloved figure
in this General Assembly and in our entire State, warming us
with his easy laugh and ready smile; his tall, rumpled
figure, with his coat pocket full of pencil stubs, moving
gregariously among all sorts and conditions of men,
encouraging, listening, advising, and at all times embodying
the very essence of a true Christian gentleman; and
Whereas, J. Melville Broughton, Jr., passed away on April
17, 1997, and is survived by his wife, Mary Ann Cooper
Broughton; his daughter, Harriet B. Gruber; two sons, J.
Melville Broughton, III and James Wesley Cooper Broughton;
and five grandchildren;
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate, the House of
Representatives concurring:
Section 1. The General Assembly expresses its high regard
for the life and service of J. Melville Broughton, Jr., and
mourns the loss to this date of such a distinguished citizen.
Section 2. The Secretary of State shall transmit a
certified copy of this resolution to the family of J.
Melville Broughton, Jr.
Section 3. This resolution is effective upon ratification.
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