Royal Brougham

Royal Brewer Brougham (September 17, 1894 – October 30, 1978)[1] was one of the longest tenured employees of a U.S. newspaper in history, working for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in Seattle, Washington, primarily as sports editor, for 68 years, starting at age 16.[2]

Royal Brougham
Born(1894-09-17)September 17, 1894
St. Louis, Missouri, US
DiedOctober 30, 1978(1978-10-30) (aged 84)
Seattle, Washington, US
EducationFranklin High School (dropped out, age 16)[1]
OccupationSeattle Post-Intelligencer sports editor
Years active1910 – 1978
SpouseAlice Brougham
Children1 daughter

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Brougham moved to Seattle as a youngster with his family. He was a highly regarded Seattle citizen who befriended athletes such as Jack Dempsey and Babe Ruth and movie stars like Bing Crosby.[3][4] At age 74, he stepped down as sports editor in 1968, succeeded by John Owen,[5] but continued to write for the P-I for ten more years.

Death

Midway through the Seattle Seahawks' third season in 1978, Brougham was still on the job at age 84, in the Kingdome press box during a game against division rival Denver on October 29. In the closing minutes, he suffered a major heart attack and was rushed to Swedish Hospital, where he died shortly after 1 am.[6][7] His funeral in Seattle that Friday was attended by nearly five hundred.[8]

Legacy

Brougham was a devout Christian and philanthropist. The Royal Brougham Sports Pavilion at Seattle Pacific University and South Royal Brougham Way (formerly known as South Connecticut Street, bordering both T-Mobile Park and Lumen Field) in Seattle commemorate his legacy to the community.[9][10]

The Emerald City Supporters, a supporter group for the Seattle Sounders FC soccer team, have nicknamed the team's home stadium "Royal Brougham Park" in honor of the sportswriter.[11] The supporters' section behind the southern goal, closest to S. Royal Brougham Way, is known as the "Brougham End".[12] Two of these supporters' groups take his name: The Brougham Boys '74 are an invite-only Ultras group affiliated with the ECS, as are the Royal Femmes for Women.

References
  1. Bergin, Mark J. "Royal Brougham: Your Old Neighbor". World Journalism Institute. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  2. Andrews, Raymond L. (January 21, 1975). "Brougham hasn't missed too much". Ellensburg Daily Record. Washington. UPI. p. 6.
  3. "Brougham still on the job when he died". Ellensburg Daily Record. Washington. UPI. October 31, 1978. p. 8.
  4. Thiel, Art (October 6, 2014). "John Owen, 1929-2014: An appreciation". Sports Press Northwest. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  5. "Royal Brougham dies". Ellensburg Daily Record. Washington. UPI. October 30, 1978. p. 7.
  6. "P-I 's Royal Brougham dies". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. October 31, 1978. p. 19.
  7. "Sports fans attend Brougham rites". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. November 5, 1978. p. B10.
  8. Watson, Emmett (July 27, 1999). "Royal Brougham was more than just another name on a downtown street Sign". Seattle Times. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  9. Raley, Dan (October 28, 2003). "Seven decades of antics, jokes and getting lost". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  10. "MLS Cup 2019 Choreo". Emerald City Supporters. 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2022. 90 minutes later they lifted the MLS Cup in the middle of Royal Brougham Park, bringing glory to the club and to our city.
  11. Campanario, Gabriel (March 11, 2011). "Color me sea green and sky blue". The Seattle Times. When the Sounders season kicks off Tuesday night against the LA Galaxy, Brougham End is the place to be at Qwest Field. I joined the frenzy here this week for a preseason game against Colorado, and the energy was already full-on, even though this was a friendly match.
    The Emerald City Supporters take the bleachers at the south end of the stadium and chant for the entire game's 90 minutes. It's a choreographed performance as riveting to watch as an actual game. They jump on the stands, raise their arms, wave flags and scarves, and sing their hearts out for the Sounders.



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