On the recordFebruary 28, 2023
Right now, family and friends have gathered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to celebrate the life of a giant of North Carolina politics, Jim Broyhill, who passed away last week at 95. Mr. Broyhill served in this House for 23 years and briefly as a Member of the United States Senate. His story began in the town of Lenoir, where he was born the son of James Edgar and Satie Hunt Broyhill, whose Broyhill Furniture had become a thriving business and brand name known nationwide. Ed Broyhill, Mr. Broyhill's father, despite living in a State where the Republican Party was almost extinct, was a Republican national committeeman. Jim Broyhill listened at the kitchen table as community and business leaders and politicians discussed current events with his father. It sparked Jim's interest. He attended and graduated from the University of North Carolina, class of 1950, joined the family business, and emerged as a leader of the business community in his own right. He married Louise, and they started a family, raising three children. Like his father, Mr. Broyhill was passionate about politics. He also believed fervently in competition. More than anything, he wanted to build in North Carolina a competitive two-party system. In 1962, he materially advanced that ball in a surprise election to Congress.…
