James Edgar Broyhill

James Edgar "Ed" Broyhill (May 5, 1892 – July 1, 1988) was an American industrialist and the founder of Broyhill Furniture Industries, Inc.

Early life Broyhill was born on a small farm in Boomer Township located in Wilkes County, North Carolina. His father, Isaac Broyhill, was born at Moravian Fall, North Carolina, to a family whose origins can be traced back to England. His mother, Margaret Parsons, was also born in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Broyhill's siblings were Thomas Hamilton Broyhill; Gordon A. Broyhill; John M. Broyhill; William C. Broyhill; Mary Broyhill; Isaac Jefferson Broyhill; and Myrtle M. Broyhill.

From an early age Broyhill worked on the family farm. He attended school at a small one-room schoolhouse in Boomer Township from the time he was 6 years old until he was 18. Broyhill supplemented his formal education by serving as a tallyman in his family's lumber business. Broyhill left home to pursue a high school diploma at Appalachian Training School located in Boone, North Carolina. Today, the school is known as Appalachian State University.

Broyhill served in World War I in the Army Corps of Engineers in Washington, D.C.

In 1926, when a key supplier of chairs, rockers and benches, the Bernhardt Chair Company, burned to the ground. Broyhill mortgaged his house for $5,000 to found the Lenoir Chair Company. In June 1927, Broyhill expanded the operation by agreeing to lease a blacksmith and buggy shop adjacent to a Carolina and Northwestern Railway Depot.

In 1929, Ed Broyhill and Tom Broyhill teamed up to purchase Harper Furniture. The stock market crash of 1929 soon followed, bringing about the Great Depression which slowed Broyhill's expansion efforts. The Premier line began to turn a profit in the 1960s, around the time that Broyhill constructed a new three-story office and showroom building. with annual sales of approximately $350 million.

In August 1980, Broyhill was purchased by Interco, Inc., a St. Louis based manufacturer of shoes and clothing, for $151.5 million.

Political career In the early days of World War II, Broyhill was named to the Furniture Industry Advisory Committee of the Office of Price Administration. In his capacity, Broyhill assisted in the determination of proper allocation of resources between the military and civilians.

Personal life and death Broyhill married Satie Hunt, a former Boone student and aspiring musician, on June 18, 1921. They had four children, including Jim Broyhill.

Broyhill Family Foundation Broyhill founded the Broyhill Family Foundation in 1946. Since its founding, Broyhill and the Foundation have donated over $100 million to many charitable causes. The Foundation primarily supports endowments for programs and scholarships at various colleges, for health care research and programs, and non-profit, charitable organizations. The Foundation funded the construction of the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center, the Broyhill Equestrian Preserve, the Broyhill Chapel & Bentley Fellowship Hall at Mars Hill University, the Broyhill Adventure Course and the Broyhill School of Management at Gardner-Webb University, and the Broyhill Commons and James T. Broyhill Stadium Entrance at Appalachian State University, among others. The Broyhill Home was founded in 1971 in Clyde, North Carolina. It is a residential facility for school-age children that employs live-in childcare workers that provide children with daily support and care.

Honors and recognition

In 1946, Broyhill was named "Furniture Man of the Year" by the Board of Governors of the American Furniture Mart for industrial, civic, and social service. In 1967, Broyhill was named by the Southern Manufacturer's Association to receive the James T. Ryan Award. In 1971, Broyhill earned an honorary doctorate, the Doctor of Commercial Science, from Appalachian State University. In 1990, Broyhill was inducted into the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame.