Alice Willson Broughton | |
|---|---|
 Broughton with a U.S. Serviceman in 1941 | |
| First Lady of North Carolina | |
| In role January 9, 1941 – January 4, 1945 | |
| Governor | J. Melville Broughton |
| Preceded by | Bessie Gardner Hoey |
| Succeeded by | Mildred Stafford Cherry |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alice Harper Willson July 13, 1889 Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | August 15, 1980 (aged 91) Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Resting place | Montlawn Memorial Park |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | J. Melville Broughton |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | William W. Willson Alice Partin |
| Residence(s) | Executive Mansion (official) Jolly-Broughton House |
| Education | Peace College |
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. She and her husband were the first governor and first lady from Wake County to live in the North Carolina Executive Mansion. During World War II she was active in the war effort, promoting victory gardens across the state and establishing one at the governor's mansion, christening liberty ships 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, wearing a couture cotton gown designed by Hattie Carnegie, 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 for the mansion, engraved with historic symbols of North Carolina. A patron of the arts, Broughton helped establish the North Carolina Symphony and the North Carolina Museum of Art, 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., she retired to Raleigh and was active in various historical societies, charities, and arts organizations including the Daughters of the American Revolution and Raleigh Little Theatre.