Phillip Burton (June 1, 1926 – April 10, 1983) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from California from 1964 until his death in 1983. He was a member of the Democratic Party and represented California's 5th congressional district.
During his time in Congress, Burton was known for his liberal views and his strong support for civil rights, environmental protection, and social welfare programs. He was a key author of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, which later became the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and he worked to expand access to healthcare and education for all Americans.
Burton was also a strong advocate for environmental protection, and he played a key role in the creation of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California. He was also involved in the establishment of the Point Reyes National Seashore, a protected area of coastline and wilderness in Northern California.
In addition to his work in Congress, Burton was also a powerful figure in California politics, and he played a key role in shaping the state's Democratic Party. He was known for his ability to build coalitions and get things done, and he was respected by both his colleagues in Congress and his constituents in California.
Burton died in 1983 at the age of 56, and he was succeeded in Congress by his wife, Sala Burton, who served until her own death in 1987.
Burton was elected to the California State Assembly in November 1956, and served there from 1957 to 1964. In 1959 he represented the United States at the Atlantic Treaty Association Conference in France.
U.S. Congress
Burton, as a Democrat, won a special election in February 1964 to fill the U.S. House of Representatives vacancy caused by the resignation of John F. Shelley, who was elected mayor of San Francisco. Burton was reelected to the ten succeeding Congresses (February 18, 1964 – April 10, 1983). In 1965, Burton was one of only three members of the House to vote against appropriations that President Lyndon B. Johnson requested for the Vietnam War.
Burton was a delegate to the California State Democratic convention from 1968 to 1982. He was also a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1968 and 1972. At the 1968 convention, he was a part of the delegation pledged to Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated after winning the California Democratic primary in June.
In 1973, Burton allowed a bill to go to the floor without a "closed rule"—a stipulation that there could be no amendments proposed to it—for the first time since the 1920s.[2] The ending of the closed rule created an infusion of federal lobbyists at the Capitol building; the lobbyists targeted members of Congress to add funding for lobbyists' favorite projects into bills.[2] For this reason, David Frum wrote that Burton "created the modern Congress" more than anyone else.[2]
After the Democrats gained a strong majority in 1974, he was successful in getting the House to abolish the House Un-American Activities Committee.[3] Burton was supported by labor unions[2] and championed union activists, supporting the activities of the farm workers union and the coal miners union.[4]
Phillip Burton shaking hands with Soviet Union General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev (right), with Speaker Carl Albert (middle) in 1975.
When President Gerald Ford appeared before Congress in 1975 to request aid during a refugee crisis in the Vietnamese and Cambodian capitals, Burton became so upset with Ford's request that he called it "an outrage" and left halfway through the speech.[5] In December 1976, Burton narrowly lost a bid for House Majority Leader to Jim Wright of Fort Worth, Texas, by a vote of 148 to 147.[6]
Before 1976, Phil Burton encouraged Nancy Pelosi to hold political fundraisers at the San Francisco mansion she shared with her husband, investor Paul Pelosi. In 1976, she was elected as a member of the Democratic National Committee, later chair of the Northern California Democratic Party and then the statewide Democratic Party, and in 1985, bidding for DNC chair.[9]
Death and legacy
Burton died on April 10, 1983, in San Francisco at age 56, of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.[10] He was cremated, and the ashes were interred in the National Cemetery of the Presidio of San Francisco. His wife Sala Burton won a special election in June 1983 to serve the remainder of his term.[10] She was elected to full terms in 1984 and 1986. Burton's House seat was later held by Nancy Pelosi, who won a special election in 1987, following Sala Burton's death.
There is a statue of Burton at the Great Meadow at Fort Mason, in the Golden Gate Recreation Area. San Francisco's federal building is named for Burton.[2]Phillip & Sala Burton High School, in San Francisco on the site of the former Woodrow Wilson High School, is named for Burton and his wife.
Jacobs, John. A Rage for Justice: The Passion and Politics of Phillip Burton. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995.
Robinson, Judith. You're in Your Mother's Arms: The Life and Legacy of Congressman Phil Burton. San Francisco, CA: M.J. Robinson, 1994.
Nies, Judith. The Girl I Left Behind: A Personal History of the 1960s. New York: Harper Perennial, 2009. (Memoir of a congressional staffer working with anti-war Congressmen.)
