[Heywood Broun's] great gifts of heart and mind were ever directed toward his purposes. Neither slander nor calumny nor thought of personal consequences ever deterred him once he had entered a fight in the cause of right and justice as he saw it. He was a hard fighter but always a fair adversary and no matter for whom he worked he wore no man's collar.

Heywood Broun was a man who earned accolades from presidents and inspired loyalty in his friends. He commanded respect from those who knew him only in print and who had difficulty both pronouncing and spelling his name, which Broun considered changing to Broon to eliminate the problem. He achieved this renown despite a diffident manner and a rumpled appearance that was legendary. His shoes did not always match, and he sometimes wore neither shoelaces nor socks. His suits lost...