His father was James Broom, a blacksmith turned prosperous farmer, and his mother was Esther Willis, a Quaker. In 1773 he married Rachel Pierce, and together they raised eight children.[1]
Broom was a dedicated supporter of a strong central government who had been appointed as a commissioner to the Annapolis Convention in 1786, although he failed to attend. When George Washington visited Wilmington in 1783, Broom urged him to "contribute your advice and influence to promote that harmony and union of our infant governments which are so essential to the permanent establishment of our freedom, happiness, and prosperity."
Broom carried these opinions with him to Philadelphia, where he consistently voted for measures that would assure a powerful government responsive to the needs of the states. He favored a nine-year term limit for members of the Senate, where the states would be equally represented. He wanted the state legislatures to pay their representatives in Congress, which, in turn, would have the power to veto state laws. He also sought to vest state legislatures with the power to select presidential electors, and he wanted the president to hold office for life. Broom faithfully attended the sessions of the Convention in Philadelphia and spoke out several times on issues that he considered crucial, but he left most of the speech-making to more influential and experienced delegates. Georgia delegate William Pierce described him as "a plain good Man, with some abilities, but nothing to render him conspicuous. He is silent in public, but cheerful and conversable in private."[1]
Later careeredit
Rachel Broom
After the convention, Broom returned to Wilmington, where in 1795 he built a home near Brandywine Creek on the outskirts of the city. Broom's primary interest remained in local government. In addition to continuing his service in Wilmington's government, he became the city's first postmaster in 1790. For many years, he chaired the board of directors of Wilmington's Delaware Bank. He also operated a cotton mill, as well as a machine shop that produced and repaired mill machinery. In 1802 He sold his mill property, which became the center of the DuPont manufacturing empire. Broom was also involved in an unsuccessful scheme to mine bog iron ore. A further interest was internal improvements: toll roads, canals, and bridges. A letter to his son James in 1794 touches upon a number of these pursuits. Broom also found time for philanthropic and religious activities. His long-standing affiliation with the Old Academy led him to become involved in its reorganization into the College of Wilmington, and to serve on the college's first Board of Trustees. Broom was also deeply involved in his community's religious affairs as a lay leader of the Old Swedes Church.
Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution, by Robert K. Wright Jr. and Morris J. MacGregor Jr., Center of Military History, United States Army, Washington, D.C., 1987
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This article is about the Delaware politician For the Pennsylvania Congressman see Jacob Broom congressman This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Jacob Broom news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message Jacob Broom October 17 1752 April 25 1810 was an American Founding Father businessman and politician from Wilmington Delaware As a delegate to the U S Constitutional Convention of 1787 he was a signer of the United States Constitution He was also appointed as a delegate to the Annapolis Convention in 1786 but did not attend and he served in the Delaware General Assembly He was the father of Congressman James M Broom and grandfather of Congressman Jacob Broom Contents 1 Early life 2 Constitutional Convention 3 Later career 4 Death and legacy 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksEarly life editHis father was James Broom a blacksmith turned prosperous farmer and his mother was Esther Willis a Quaker In 1773 he married Rachel Pierce and together they raised eight children 1 Constitutional Convention edit nbsp In his painting Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States Howard Chandler Christy obscured Broom s face because no portrait of Broom could be found Broom was a dedicated supporter of a strong central government who had been appointed as a commissioner to the Annapolis Convention in 1786 although he failed to attend When George Washington visited Wilmington in 1783 Broom urged him to contribute your advice and influence to promote that harmony and union of our infant governments which are so essential to the permanent establishment of our freedom happiness and prosperity Broom carried these opinions with him to Philadelphia where he consistently voted for measures that would assure a powerful government responsive to the needs of the states He favored a nine year term limit for members of the Senate where the states would be equally represented He wanted the state legislatures to pay their representatives in Congress which in turn would have the power to veto state laws He also sought to vest state legislatures with the power to select presidential electors and he wanted the president to hold office for life Broom faithfully attended the sessions of the Convention in Philadelphia and spoke out several times on issues that he considered crucial but he left most of the speech making to more influential and experienced delegates Georgia delegate William Pierce described him as a plain good Man with some abilities but nothing to render him conspicuous He is silent in public but cheerful and conversable in private 1 Later career edit nbsp Rachel BroomAfter the convention Broom returned to Wilmington where in 1795 he built a home near Brandywine Creek on the outskirts of the city Broom s primary interest remained in local government In addition to continuing his service in Wilmington s government he became the city s first postmaster in 1790 For many years he chaired the board of directors of Wilmington s Delaware Bank He also operated a cotton mill as well as a machine shop that produced and repaired mill machinery In 1802 He sold his mill property which became the center of the DuPont manufacturing empire Broom was also involved in an unsuccessful scheme to mine bog iron ore A further interest was internal improvements toll roads canals and bridges A letter to his son James in 1794 touches upon a number of these pursuits Broom also found time for philanthropic and religious activities His long standing affiliation with the Old Academy led him to become involved in its reorganization into the College of Wilmington and to serve on the college s first Board of Trustees Broom was also deeply involved in his community s religious affairs as a lay leader of the Old Swedes Church Death and legacy editHe died at age 57 in 1810 while in Philadelphia on business and was buried there at Christ Church Burial Ground 2 A cenotaph was placed in his honor at the Christ Episcopal Church by the Delaware State Society in 1987 His home near the Brandywine the Jacob Broom House was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974 Broom Street in Madison Wisconsin is named in his honor 3 References edit a b The Founding Fathers Delaware National Archives accessed 2010 11 21 The Founding Fathers Delaware National Archives accessed 2010 11 21 Odd Wisconsin Archives Wisconsinhistory org 2006 03 29 Archived from the original on 2016 03 03 Retrieved 2013 04 22 Further reading editLife amp Character of Jacob Broom by Rev William W Campbell Delaware Historical Society Wilmington 1909 Soldier Statesmen of the Constitution by Robert K Wright Jr and Morris J MacGregor Jr Center of Military History United States Army Washington D C 1987External links editNational Archives Delaware Founding Fathers McCullough Family papers amp notes at Mixed Genes Delaware Historical Society website 505 North Market Street Wilmington Delaware University of Delaware Library website 181 South College Avenue Newark Delaware Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jacob Broom amp oldid 1192699697, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
