Alice Harper Willson Broughton (July 13, 1889 – August 15, 1980) was an American civic leader who served as the First Lady of North Carolina from 1941 to 1945 as the wife of Governor

J. Melville Broughton Joseph Melville Broughton Jr. (November 17, 1888March 6, 1949) was an American politician who served as 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 dea ...

. She and her husband were the first governor and first lady from

Wake County Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most-populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the U ...

to live in the

North Carolina Executive Mansion The North Carolina Executive Mansion (also referred to as the North Carolina Governor's Mansion) is the official residence of the governor of North Carolina and their family. Building began in the year 1883 and it was designed by architects Sam ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

she was active in the

war effort In politics and military planning, a war effort is a coordinated mobilization of society's resources—both industrial and human—towards the support of a military force. Depending on the militarization of the culture, the relative size ...

, promoting

victory gardens ''Victory Gardens'' (1991) is the debut album from John & Mary, recorded in 1990 just six months after the two met in December 1989 and immediately following their signing with Rykodisc. John Lombardo, former member of 10,000 Maniacs and respon ...

across the state and establishing one at the governor's mansion, christening

liberty ships Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost constr ...

including the '' SS Zebulon B. Vance'' and the '' SS Donald W. Bain'', and donating rubber to the armed forces. In 1943 Broughton was photographed alongside her daughter for the November issue of ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'', wearing a couture cotton gown designed by

Hattie Carnegie Hattie Carnegie (March 15, 1886 – February 22, 1956) was a fashion entrepreneur based in New York City from the 1920s to the 1950s. She was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, as Henrietta Kanengeiser. By her early 20s, she had taken the su ...

, to show support for North Carolina's cotton textile industry. She oversaw renovations at the governor's mansion, including the addition of a service elevator. She commissioned an official

silver service Silver service (in British English) is a method of foodservice at the table, with waiter transferring food from a serving dish to the guest's plate, always from the left. It is performed by a waiter by using service forks and spoons from the dine ...

for the mansion, engraved with historic symbols of North Carolina. A patron of the arts, Broughton helped establish the

North Carolina Symphony The North Carolina Symphony (NCS) is an American orchestra based in Raleigh, North Carolina, with sixty-six full-time musicians. The orchestra performs in Meymandi Concert Hall and performs occasionally with the Carolina Ballet and the Opera Com ...

and the

North Carolina Museum of Art The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) is an art museum in Raleigh, North Carolina. It opened in 1956 as the first major museum collection in the country to be formed by state legislation and funding. Since the initial 1947 appropriation that e ...

, and served as a board member for the North Carolina Art Society. After her husband died while serving as a U.S. senator in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, she retired to Raleigh and was active in various historical societies, charities, and arts organizations including the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

and

Raleigh Little Theatre Raleigh Little Theatre (RLT) is a community theatre in Raleigh, North Carolina, that produces 10 to 11 full productions annually and conducts youth and adult theatre education programs. About Raleigh Little Theatre was established in 1936 to pro ...

Early life

Broughton was born Alice Harper Willson in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

on July 13, 1889 to William W. Willson and Alice Partin Willson. Her father was the Raleigh City Clerk and Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Masons of North Carolina. Her mother was a public schoolteacher. Her granduncle, Donald W. Bain, served as

North Carolina State Treasurer The North Carolina State Treasurer is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina responsible for overseeing the financial operations of state government. The current state treasurer is Dale Folwell. The office of state treasur ...

. She was raised in the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

. A member of a prominent Raleigh family, Broughton was privately tutored and received music lessons at home with a German musician. She attended

Peace College William Peace University is a private college in Raleigh, North Carolina. Formerly affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, it offers undergraduate degrees in more than 30 majors and the School of Professional Studies (SPS) offers accelerated ba ...

, a private all-girls school affiliated with the

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

First Lady of North Carolina

When her husband was considering running for

Governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...

, Broughton reportedly told him, "I think you are fine enough to be governor, and if you think it is the thing to do, I feel that no greater honor can come to a man than being governor of his own state." She accompanied him on his gubernatorial campaign trail, crocheting while he spoke to citizens about issues in North Carolina. Broughton became

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

of North Carolina on January 9, 1941, when her husband was sworn in as Governor of North Carolina. The family moved into the

later that month. In order to help her youngest son with the move, Broughton converted one of the rooms on the third floor of the mansion into a clubroom for his

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts may refer to: * Boy Scout, a participant in the Boy Scout Movement. * Scouting, also known as the Boy Scout Movement. * An organisation in the Scouting Movement, although many of these organizations also have female members. There are ...

troop. Broughton and her husband were the first North Carolina First Lady and Governor from

to live in the governor's mansion. Broughton oversaw updates to the governor's mansion. In 1941 she had an elevator for household staff installed in an area within the service staircase. She commissioned a new

for state functions, designed and engraved by silversmiths Fred Starke and Clarence Bowman. The service's engravings included the

Seal of North Carolina The Great Seal of North Carolina is used to authenticate certain documents issued by the Government of North Carolina. The Great Seal was modified to its present form in 1983. Design According to an act passed by the North Carolina General Assem ...

, pine boughs, dogwood flowers, and other symbols of North Carolina. In 1943 Broughton and her daughter were photographed in the ballroom of the governor's mansion wearing "outstanding cotton creations" for ''

'' to show support for North Carolina's cotton textile industry. The photoshoot was a cooperation between the

National Cotton Council of America The National Cotton Council of America is a trade organization for cotton production in the United States. Purpose The main purpose of the organization is to lobby in favor of farm bills agreeable to the cotton industry. Other goals include doing ...

and the Cotton-Textile Institute. She wore a dark blue cotton lace formal gown designed by

. Her portrait, taken by Wynn Richards for the November 1943 issue of ''Vogue'', was the ninth part of a series of costumes created by American designers showcasing First Ladies of various states. She was instrumental in promoting legislation to establish a state-sponsored symphony and art gallery, which led to the creation of the

and the

. She served as patron to both institutions.

World War II

Throughout the majority of her husband's tenure as governor, the United States was involved in

. As First Lady, Broughton assisted in the war effort, promoting

victory garden Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Germany during World War I ...

s across the state and tending to one at the governor's mansion. She apportioned the food served at the governor's mansion, including the traditional breakfasts served to members of the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

. When the news spread that the First Family of North Carolina's meals were affected by wartime rationing, many North Carolinians sent food stamps to the family. Broughton opened the mansion up to military servicemen for overnight weekend visits to boost morale. She promoted a national rubber drive for the war effort by stripping fifty-eight pounds of rubber tread from the service staircase in the governor's mansion, taking it to a collection center in Raleigh on July 10, 1942. Accompanied by a reporter and a photographer from the '' Raleigh Times'', Broughton attempted to donate the rubber to the collection center. The center attendants refused the donation, so she donated to another center across the street. She christened various

liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...

s that were built in Wilmington, including the '' SS Zebulon B. Vance'' and the '' SS Donald W. Bain''.

Philanthropy and political activism

In 1950 Broughton was appointed to the

Tryon Palace Tryon Palace, formerly called Governor's Palace, Newbern, was the official residence and administrative headquarters of the British governors of North Carolina from 1770 to 1775. Located in New Bern, North Carolina, the palace was often at the ...

Commission. She was also a member of the Raleigh Garden Club, the

, the Woman's Club of Raleigh, the Needlework Guild,

, the Roanoke Island Historical Association, the North Carolina Antiquities Society, and she served as a board member of the North Carolina Art Society. She served on the North Carolina Democratic Executive Committee, the North Carolina Prison Advisory Council, and the Wake Forest University Board of Trustees. Broughton was also a member of the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by ...

. Broughton oversaw the naming of buildings after her husband at the State Training School for Negro Girls (later the Dobbs School for Girls) in Kinston and at

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...

. Although she was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, she supported

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politicians in her later life. Broughton was one of three wives of former United States Democratic senators from North Carolina who co-chaired the Ladies For Jessie Club, supporting Republican

Jesse Helms Jesse Alexander Helms Jr. (October 18, 1921 – July 4, 2008) was an American politician. A leader in the conservative movement, he served as a senator from North Carolina from 1973 to 2003. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ...

in his 1972 election and his 1978 re-election.

Personal life

Broughton met Joseph Melville Broughton, a nephew of North Carolina State Senator Needham B. Broughton and first cousin of both State Librarian

Carrie Lougee Broughton Carrie Lougee Broughton (September 16, 1879 – January 29, 1957) was an American librarian who served as the fourth State Librarian of North Carolina from 1918 to 1956. She was the first woman to serve as State Librarian and the first woman to s ...

and Baptist minister Len G. Broughton, while she was a student at Peace and he was attending

Wake Forest College Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

. They were married on December 14, 1916. At the time, her husband was working as an attorney, having graduated from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

, and she was working in

newspaper circulation Print circulation is the average number of copies of a publication. The number of copies of a non-periodical publication (such as a book) are usually called print run. Circulation is not always the same as copies sold, often called paid circulat ...

for a local paper. Broughton worked for the newspaper for eight years. Upon her marriage, she converted from Methodism to

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The word ...

, the denomination of her husband's family, and became a parishioner at Tabernacle Baptist Church. She and her husband had four children: Alice Willson Broughton, Joseph Melville Broughton, Robert Bain Broughton, and Woodson Harris Broughton. Her children attended public schools in Raleigh and she was an active member of the

Parent Teacher Association A parent is a caregiver of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is the caretaker of a child (where "child" refers to offspring, not necessarily age). A ''biological parent'' is a person whose gamete resulted in a child, a male t ...

. The family lived in the

Jolly-Broughton House The Jolly-Broughton House is a historic Georgian Revival-style house in Raleigh, North Carolina. The house, completed in 1929, was the home of North Carolina Governor J. Melville Broughton and First Lady Alice Willson Broughton. History The Jol ...

, a

Georgian Revival Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Georg ...

-style mansion in Raleigh. Jolly-Broughton_House

In the summer of 1946 Broughton and her husband visited

Inglis Fletcher Inglis Fletcher (October 20, 1879 – May 30, 1969) was an American writer. Early life Inglis Clark was born October 20, 1879, in Alton, Illinois, the daughter of Maurice W. Clark and Flora Chapman. Career Inglis Fletcher is known for numerous ...

at Bandon Plantation in Chowan County after attending a production of ''

The Lost Colony The establishment of the Roanoke Colony ( ) was an attempt by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America. The English, led by Sir Humphrey Gilbert, had briefly claimed St. John's, Newfoundland, in ...

'' in Manteo. After completing his term as governor, her husband was elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in 1948, defeating

William B. Umstead William Bradley Umstead (May 13, 1895November 7, 1954) was an United States of America, American politician who served as a United States Senators, United States Senator and the List of Governors of North Carolina, 63rd governor of North Carolin ...

. He died on March 6, 1949, a few months after taking office. Upon her husband's death, Broughton moved from

back to her home in

Hayes Barton Historic District The Hayes Barton Historic District is a neighborhood located northwest of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. Hayes Barton, an upper class neighborhood designed by landscape architect Earle Sumner Draper, contains 457 buildings on . The neighborhoo ...

, an upper-class neighborhood in western Raleigh. In April 1951 she attended a joint session of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

where General

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...

gave his farewell address before retiring from military service. Broughton died from a heart attack on August 15, 1980. A funeral service was held at

Edenton Street United Methodist Church Edenton Street United Methodist Church is a historic United Methodist church in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, where over 1,500 people gather to worship each Sunday. Edenton Street Church was one of the first churches built in the city ...

, after which she was buried in Montlawn Memorial Park next to her husband. She had set up trust funds and stock gifts, including interest in the Wake Memorial Association, for her grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Broughton, Alice Willson 1889 births 1980 deaths 20th-century American newspaper people American women civilians in World War II American patrons of the arts American women philanthropists Baptists from North Carolina Alice Converts to Baptist denominations Daughters of the American Revolution people First ladies and gentlemen of North Carolina Former Methodists North Carolina Democrats People from Raleigh, North Carolina Spouses of North Carolina politicians William Peace University alumni