Harvey Broome

A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Broome was a founding member of The Wilderness Society,[2] for which he served as president from 1957 until his death in 1968, and played a key role in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Realizing after several years that the life of a clerk had provided him with more time to spend in the outdoors, Broome left the firm to return to his former position.

[1] In October 1934, while attending a forestry conference in the Smokies, Broome met fellow conservationists Bob Marshall, Benton MacKaye and Bernard Frank, all of whom shared a common interest in the need for an organization to protect America's wilderness areas.

[3] He also wrote a letter detailing his predictions of the future of forest preservation, which is to be opened by the President of the United States on October 24, 1964.

Three of his books were published posthumously: Out Under the Skies in the Great Smoky Mountains, Faces of the Wilderness, and Harvey Broome: Earth Man.

They lived in a house that the couple relocated from Broome's grandfather's farm to Knoxville; they also owned a cabin in the Smokies.

Four founders of The Wilderness Society: (l-r) Bernard Frank, Harvey Broome, Bob Marshall, and Benton MacKaye