Harvey Broome

Harvey Broome (July 15, 1902 – March 8, 1968) was an American lawyer, writer and conservationist. A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Broome was an active member and longtime president of the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club and a founding member of The Wilderness Society. [Sutter, p. 3] He served as the society's president from 1957 until his death in 1968. The Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club is named the Harvey Broome Group in his honor.

Early life

Harvey Benjamin Broome was born in Knoxville, Tennessee to George W. and Adeline Broome on July 15, 1902. During his childhood, most of Broome's outdoor experiences took place on his grandparents' farm. Here, five miles outside of Knoxville, he had access to livestock, fresh springs, an orchard and a view of the Great Smoky Mountains, which lay 40 miles to the south. He graduated from Knoxville High School in 1919 and then attended the University of Tennessee, graduating in 1923. Three years later, Broome graduated from the Harvard Law School.

Although he began his law career as a clerk, he eventually entered into private practice in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, with the law firm of 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 his firm and private practice to return to his former position.

Notes

References

*Sutter, Paul. 2002. "Driven Wild: How the Fight against Automobiles Launched the Modern Wilderness Movement". Seattle: University of Washington press. ISBN 0295982195.