Harvey Broome
Encyclopedia
Harvey Benjamin Broome was an American lawyer, writer and conservationist. A native of Knoxville, Tennessee
, Broome was a founding member of The Wilderness Society
, for which he served as president from 1957 until his death in 1968, and played a key role in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
. The Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club
is named the "Harvey Broome Group" in his honor.
(now a suburb of Knoxville). Located 40 miles north of the Great Smoky Mountains
, it was here that Broome developed his love of the outdoors. At the age of fifteen, his father took him on his first camping trip, to Silers Bald
in the Smokies.
After graduating from Knoxville High School
in 1919, Broome attended the University of Tennessee
, graduating in 1923. Three years later, he earned a law degree from Harvard University
. Although he began his law career as a clerk, he eventually entered into private practice with a law firm in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
called Kramer, Dye, McNabb and Greenwood. Realizing after several years that the life of a clerk had provided him with more time to spend in the outdoors, Broome left the firm to return to his former position. He clerked for federal district court judge Xen Hicks from 1930 to 1949, and for Judge Robert L. Taylor from 1958 to 1968.
, Benton MacKaye
and Bernard Frank
, all of whom shared a common interest in the need for an organization to protect America's wilderness areas. Three months later, The Wilderness Society
was created; Broome would be heavily involved in the Society for the remainder of his life. Among his achievements was his work alongside Society executive director Howard Zahniser
in persuading the United States Congress
to create the National Wilderness Preservation System, which occurred in 1964 when Congress passed the Wilderness Act
. Broome was present among other conservationists when President Lyndon Johnson signed the bill into law on September 3, 1964. He also wrote a letter detailing his predictions of the future of forest preservation, which is to be opened by the President of the United States on October 24, 1964.
In the mid-1930s, Broome was director of the Great Smoky Mountains Conservation Association. While he advocated the creation of the park, he disagreed with Park Commission president David C. Chapman
, who wanted to develop the park as a tourist attraction. Broome wanted the park strictly preserved as a wilderness, with access provided via hiking trails.
In 1954, Broome was one of several conservationists (among them Justice William O. Douglas
) to hike the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
towpath in protest of plans to convert the towpath into a road. In the mid-1960s, he helped establish the Save-Our-Smokies campaign, mainly to oppose the construction of a trans-mountain road through the park.
Broome published his first article, "Great Smoky Mountain Trails," in Mountain magazine in 1928. In subsequent years, he contributed numerous articles to various publications, including Living Wilderness (The Wilderness Society's publication), National Parks Magazine, and Nature, among others. Three of his books were published posthumously: Out Under the Skies in the Great Smoky Mountains, Faces of the Wilderness, and Harvey Broome: Earth Man.
Broome served as president of the East Tennessee Historical Society
from 1945 to 1947. During this period, the Society published its first comprehensive history of Knoxville and Knox County
, The French Broad-Holston County: A History of Knox County, Tennessee, which was edited by Lawson McGhee librarian
Mary Rothrock. Broome provided three chapters for the book detailing the history of Knox County's government.
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, Broome was a founding member of The Wilderness Society
The Wilderness Society (United States)
The Wilderness Society is an American organization that is dedicated to protecting America's wilderness. It was formed in 1935 and currently has over 300,000 members and supporters.-Founding:The society was incorporated on January 21, 1935...
, for which he served as president from 1957 until his death in 1968, and played a key role in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North...
. The Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
is named the "Harvey Broome Group" in his honor.
Early life and career
Broome was born in Knoxville to George W. and Adeline Broome on July 15, 1902. During his childhood, he frequently visited his grandparents' farm in Fountain CityFountain City, Tennessee
Fountain City is a neighborhood in northern Knoxville, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Although not a census-designated place , the populations of the two zip codes that serve Fountain City— 37918 and 37912— were 36,815 and 18,695, respectively, as of the 2000 U.S. census...
(now a suburb of Knoxville). Located 40 miles north of the Great Smoky Mountains
Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province. The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains or the...
, it was here that Broome developed his love of the outdoors. At the age of fifteen, his father took him on his first camping trip, to Silers Bald
Silers Bald
Silers Bald is a mountain in the western Great Smoky Mountains, located in theSoutheastern United States. Its proximity to Clingmans Dome and its location alongthe Appalachian Trail make it a popular hiking destination....
in the Smokies.
After graduating from Knoxville High School
Knoxville High School (Tennessee)
Knoxville High School was a public high school in Knoxville, Tennessee, that operated from 1910 to 1951, enrolling grades 10 to 12. Its building is a contributing property in the Emory Place Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
in 1919, Broome attended the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, graduating in 1923. Three years later, he earned a law degree from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Although he began his law career as a clerk, he eventually entered into private practice with a law firm in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
called Kramer, Dye, McNabb and Greenwood. Realizing after several years that the life of a clerk had provided him with more time to spend in the outdoors, Broome left the firm to return to his former position. He clerked for federal district court judge Xen Hicks from 1930 to 1949, and for Judge Robert L. Taylor from 1958 to 1968.
Conservation
In October 1934, while attending a forestry conference in the Smokies, Broome met fellow conservationists Bob MarshallBob Marshall (wilderness activist)
Robert "Bob" Marshall was an American forester, writer and wilderness activist. The son of wealthy constitutional lawyer and conservationist Louis Marshall, Bob Marshall developed a love for the outdoors as a young child...
, Benton MacKaye
Benton MacKaye
Benton MacKaye was an American forester, planner and conservationist. He was born in Stamford, Connecticut; his father was actor and dramatist Steele MacKaye. After studying forestry at Harvard University , Benton later taught there for several years. He joined a number of Federal bureaus and...
and Bernard Frank
Bernard Frank (wilderness activist)
Bernard Frank was an American forester and wilderness activist. He is known for being one of the eight founding members of The Wilderness Society....
, all of whom shared a common interest in the need for an organization to protect America's wilderness areas. Three months later, The Wilderness Society
The Wilderness Society (United States)
The Wilderness Society is an American organization that is dedicated to protecting America's wilderness. It was formed in 1935 and currently has over 300,000 members and supporters.-Founding:The society was incorporated on January 21, 1935...
was created; Broome would be heavily involved in the Society for the remainder of his life. Among his achievements was his work alongside Society executive director Howard Zahniser
Howard Zahniser
Howard Clinton Zahniser was an American environmental activist. Zahniser is noted for being the primary author of the Wilderness Act of 1964....
in persuading the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to create the National Wilderness Preservation System, which occurred in 1964 when Congress passed the Wilderness Act
Wilderness Act
The Wilderness Act of 1964 was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected some 9 million acres of federal land. The result of a long effort to protect federal wilderness, the Wilderness Act was signed...
. Broome was present among other conservationists when President Lyndon Johnson signed the bill into law on September 3, 1964. He also wrote a letter detailing his predictions of the future of forest preservation, which is to be opened by the President of the United States on October 24, 1964.
In the mid-1930s, Broome was director of the Great Smoky Mountains Conservation Association. While he advocated the creation of the park, he disagreed with Park Commission president David C. Chapman
David C. Chapman
David Carpenter Chapman was an American soldier, politician, and business leader from Knoxville, Tennessee who led the effort to establish the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the 1920s and 1930s. Mount Chapman and Chapman Highway David Carpenter Chapman (9 August 1876 - 26 July 1944) was...
, who wanted to develop the park as a tourist attraction. Broome wanted the park strictly preserved as a wilderness, with access provided via hiking trails.
In 1954, Broome was one of several conservationists (among them Justice William O. Douglas
William O. Douglas
William Orville Douglas was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. With a term lasting 36 years and 209 days, he is the longest-serving justice in the history of the Supreme Court...
) to hike the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal, and occasionally referred to as the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 parallel to the Potomac River in Maryland from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington, D.C. The total length of the canal is about . The elevation change of...
towpath in protest of plans to convert the towpath into a road. In the mid-1960s, he helped establish the Save-Our-Smokies campaign, mainly to oppose the construction of a trans-mountain road through the park.
Broome published his first article, "Great Smoky Mountain Trails," in Mountain magazine in 1928. In subsequent years, he contributed numerous articles to various publications, including Living Wilderness (The Wilderness Society's publication), National Parks Magazine, and Nature, among others. Three of his books were published posthumously: Out Under the Skies in the Great Smoky Mountains, Faces of the Wilderness, and Harvey Broome: Earth Man.
Broome served as president of the East Tennessee Historical Society
East Tennessee Historical Society
The East Tennessee Historical Society , headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of East Tennessee history, the preservation of historically significant artifacts, and educating the citizens of Tennessee...
from 1945 to 1947. During this period, the Society published its first comprehensive history of Knoxville and Knox County
Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
, The French Broad-Holston County: A History of Knox County, Tennessee, which was edited by Lawson McGhee librarian
Lawson McGhee Public Library
The Lawson McGhee Public Library is the main library for Knoxville, Tennessee. It is located at 500 West Church Avenue in downtown Knoxville. The Beck Cultural Exchange Center, the East Tennessee Historical Center and numerous library branches are also associated with the Lawson McGhee Public...
Mary Rothrock. Broome provided three chapters for the book detailing the history of Knox County's government.