Needham B. Broughton | |
|---|---|
 Broughton circa. 1902 | |
| Member of the North Carolina Senate from the Wake County district | |
| In office 1901–1903 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Needham Bryant Broughton February 14, 1848 Near Auburn, North Carolina, United States |
| Died | May 26, 1914 (aged 66) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Resting place | Historic Oakwood Cemetery, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse | Caroline R. Lougee |
| Children | 6 (including Carrie) |
| Parents |
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Needham Bryant Broughton (February 14, 1848 – May 26, 1914) was an American printer, temperance activist, and politician who served as a North Carolina state senator from 1901 to 1903. He co-owned a prosperous printing business, Edwards & Broughton, and was a member of several commercial organizations. An active member in the North Carolina Baptist community, he served as secretary of the Southern Baptist Convention for approximately 30 years. Broughton was born in 1848 near Auburn, North Carolina. Eight years later his family moved to Raleigh, and he enrolled in public school. After several years of work in printing offices which saw him employed in Washington, D.C., and New York City, Broughton returned to Raleigh and married. In 1872 he and C.B. Edwards established the Edwards & Broughton Printing Company. It quickly became one of the largest printers in North Carolina, and for a time it did most of the printing and binding of state publications.
Broughton was a devout Baptist who acted as a lay preacher, deacon, Sunday school superintendent, and secretary of the Southern Baptist Convention for about 30 years. Inspired by his religious convictions, he avidly campaigned for temperance and the prohibition of alcohol in North Carolina. He served one term in the North Carolina State Senate for the Democratic Party to prevent the seat from being filled by an anti-prohibition candidate. Broughton also supported public education, securing tax increases to fund Raleigh's schools and serving on the boards of trustees for several state institutions. He fell ill in 1913 and was forced to retire, dying the following year in a hospital in Philadelphia. Needham B. Broughton High School in Raleigh was named in his honor.