Burton Lee French (August 1, 1875 – September 12, 1954) was a congressman from Idaho. French served as a Republican in the House from 1903 to 1909, 1911 to 1915 and 1917 to 1933. With a combined 26 years in office, he remains the longest-serving U.S. House member in Idaho history.
Burton L. French | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Idaho's 1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1933 | |
| Preceded by | Himself (as At-Large District Congressman) |
| Succeeded by | Compton White, Sr. |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Idaho's at-large district | |
| In office March 4, 1917 – March 3, 1919 | |
| Preceded by | Robert M. McCracken |
| Succeeded by | Himself (as 1st district Congressman) |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Idaho's at-large district | |
| In office March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1915 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Ray Hamer |
| Succeeded by | Robert M. McCracken |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Idaho's at-large district | |
| In office March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1909 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas L. Glenn |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Ray Hamer |
| Member of the Idaho state legislature | |
| In office 1898-1902 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 1, 1875 Carroll County, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | September 12, 1954 (aged 79) Hamilton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Resting place | Moscow Cemetery, Moscow, Idaho, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Winifred Estel Hartley French (m. 1904–1934, her death)[1] |
| Children | 1 |
| Residence(s) | Moscow, Idaho, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Idaho, 1901 University of Chicago, Ph.M. 1903, read law |
| Profession | Attorney |
Early years edit
Burton Lee French was born in Delphi, Indiana, to Mina Philippena French (née Fisher) and Charles Albert French.[2] The fourth of nine children, he moved with his parents in 1880 to Kearney, Nebraska, and to Princeton, Idaho via San Francisco two years later. A year later they moved to Palouse, Washington, and French attended public schools and graduated in 1891. French entered the University of Idaho at Moscow in 1893, but interrupted his studies to teach school in Kendrick and Juliaetta, Idaho. He finished his degree in 1901 and then was a fellow at the University of Chicago 1901–1903 in political science and studied law. He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice back in Idaho at Moscow. French was a member of the state legislature from 1898 to 1902, first elected while an undergraduate student. While in the legislature, he met his wife, Winfred E. Hartley. She was a Boise schoolteacher from Nebraska and they were married in 1904. They had a daughter that died as an infant in 1908.[2]
Congress edit
French was first elected to Congress in 1902 at age 27 and won his last election in 1930.[3] He was originally elected as the sole at-large member from Idaho, representing the entire state. Idaho gained a second seat for the 1912 election and both seats were at-large through the 1916 election. Beginning with the 1918 election, French represented the state's First Congressional District, with the term commencing in March 1919.
Election results edit
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | Burton French | |||||||
| 1904 | Burton French (inc.) | |||||||
| 1906 | Burton French (inc.) | |||||||
| 1910 | Burton French |
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | Burton French (inc.)^ | |||||||
| 1916 | Burton French |
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | L.I. Purcell | 15,672 | 36.7% | Burton French (inc.)^ | 27,084 | 63.3% | |||||||
| 1920 | Nell K. Irion | 15,218 | 26.0% | Burton French (inc.) | 34,654 | 59.3% | Riley Rice | Independent | 8,605 | 14.7% | |||
| 1922 | George Waters | 13,772 | 26.7% | Burton French (inc.) | 24,167 | 46.8% | W.W. Deal | Progressive | 13,673 | 26.5% | |||
| 1924 | Perry Mitchell | 20,234 | 37.5% | Burton French (inc.) | 33,347 | 61.8% | Roy Rabbit | Socialist | 340 | 0.6% | |||
| 1926 | L.L Burtenshaw | 15,903 | 33.7% | Burton French (inc.) | 31,250 | 66.3% | |||||||
| 1928 | Joe Tyler | 19,064 | 30.0% | Burton French (inc.) | 43,770 | 68.9% | Gust Nelson | Socialist | 677 | 1.1% | |||
| 1930 | Compton White | 18,657 | 35.1% | Burton French (inc.) | 34,527 | 64.9% | |||||||
| 1932 | Compton White | 42,784 | 54.9% | Burton French (inc.) | 32,545 | 41.8% | A. Cornell | Liberty | 2,614 | 3.4% | |||
| 1934 | Compton White (inc.) | 42,323 | 62.0% | Burton French | 25,969 | 38.0% |
Source:[4]
^ Incumbent when he won seat with new designation in 1912 and 1918.
Death edit
French died in Ohio in 1954 after a year's battle with leukemia.[2] He had been a professor at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, from 1935 to 1947, when he retired. His wife had died of an extended illness twenty years earlier in 1934 in Moscow[1] and both are buried at Moscow Cemetery east of the city, with their infant daughter (1908).[5]
References edit
This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- ^ a b "Mrs. B.L. French passes at Moscow". Lewiston Morning Tribune. February 1, 1934. p. 2.
- ^ a b c "Biography of Burton Lee French". University of Idaho Library. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
- ^ "S. Doc. 58-1 - Fifty-eighth Congress. (Extraordinary session -- beginning November 9, 1903.) Official Congressional Directory for the use of the United States Congress. Compiled under the direction of the Joint Committee on Printing by A.J. Halford. Special edition. Corrections made to November 5, 1903". GovInfo.gov. U.S. Government Printing Office. 9 November 1903. p. 19. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ "Office of the Clerk: Election statistics". U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
- ^ "Burton French is taken by death". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. September 13, 1954. p. 6.
External links edit
- United States Congress. "Burton L. French (id: F000375)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- University of Idaho Library – Burton Lee French (1875-1954) papers, 1890-1954
- Political Graveyard – Burton L. French
- Burton L. French at Find a Grave