Broom was born in 1752 at Wilmington, DE., the
eldest son of a blacksmith who prospered in farming. The youth was
educated at home and probably at the local Old Academy. Although he
followed his father into farming and also studied surveying, he was
to make his career primarily in mercantile pursuits, including
shipping and the import trade, and in real estate. In 1773 he
married Rachel Pierce, who bore eight children.
Broom was not a distinguished patriot. His only recorded service was
the preparation of maps for George Washington before the Battle of
Brandywine, PA. In 1776, at 24 years of age, Broom became assistant
burgess of Wilmington. Over the next several decades, he held that
office six times and that of chief burgess four times, as well as
those of borough assessor, president of the city "street
regulators," and justice of the peace for New Castle County.
Broom sat in the state legislature in the years 1784-86 and 1788,
during which time he was chosen as a delegate to the Annapolis
Convention, but he did not attend. At the Constitutional Convention,
he never missed a session and spoke on several occasions, but his
role was only a minor one.
After the convention, Broom returned to Wilmington, where in 1795 he
erected a home near the Brandywine River on the outskirts of the
city. He was its first postmaster (1790-92) and continued to hold
various local offices and to participate in a variety of economic
endeavors. 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. He was
involved, too, in an unsuccessful scheme to mine bog iron ore. A
further interest was internal improvements: toll roads, canals, and
bridges.
Broom also found time for philanthropic and religious activities. He
served on the board of trustees of the College of Wilmington and as
a lay leader at Old Swedes Church. He died at the age of 58 in 1810
while in Philadelphia on business and was buried there at Christ
Church Burial Ground. |
