[1] Born in Columbia, Marion County, Mississippi, to John Calvin Broom and Bertha Herrin Broom, he was educated at Columbia High School and Pearl River Community College, before receiving a B.B.A.
[2][3] Broom served in the United States Army in World War II, "in the First Infantry Division in Belgium, France and Germany".
[2] "He was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star".
[3] Governor Bill Waller initially named Broom to the state supreme court as a temporary replacement for ailing Justice Thomas Pickens Brady, on October 5, 1972.
[3] On February 8, 1973, Broom was appointed by Governor Waller to formally fill the seat vacated by the death of Brady.