Vera Sarah Bushfield (née Cahalan; August 9, 1889 – April 16, 1976) was an American politician served as a

U.S. senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

from

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

in 1948, as well as the First Lady of South Dakota from 1939 to 1943. Bushfield's appointment also marked the first time one state had been represented by two female senators;

Gladys Pyle Gladys Shields Pyle (October 4, 1890March 14, 1989) was an American educator and national record setting female politician during the first score of years post-ratification of Women's Suffrage Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, who set numerou ...

served for two months in late 1938 and early 1939.

Early life

Vera Sarah Cahalan was born in

Miller, South Dakota Miller is a city in and county seat of Hand County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,349 at the 2020 census. History The city was named for its founder, Henry Miller. The post office has been in operation since 1881. Geograph ...

, on August 9, 1889, the daughter of Maurice Francis Cahalan and Mary Ellen (Conners) Cahalan. She attended the public schools of Miller and in 1912 she graduated from

Menomonie, Wisconsin Menomonie () is a city in and the county seat of Dunn County, Wisconsin, United States. The city's population was 16,843 as of the 2020 census. Menomonie forms the core of the United States Census Bureau's Menomonie Micropolitan Statistical A ...

's Stout Institute with a degree in domestic science. In addition, Cahalan attended

Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University (DWU) is a private Methodist university in Mitchell, South Dakota. It was founded in 1885 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The student body averages slightly fewer than 800 students. The campus of t ...

and the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. On April 15, 1912, Cahalan married Harlan J. Bushfield, who was also a resident of Miller, and the Bushfields continued to reside there. The Bushfields were the parents of three children; Mary, John, and Harlan Jr.

First lady of South Dakota

Harlan Bushfield was an attorney and Republican Party official who served as

Governor of South Dakota The governor of South Dakota is the head of government of South Dakota. The governor is elected to a four-year term in even years when there is no presidential election. The current governor is Larry Rhoden, a member of the Republican Party ...

from 1939 to 1943. During his governorship, Vera Bushfield was the official sponsor of , a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

ship launched in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

on June 7, 1941. After serving as governor, Harlan Bushfield served as a U.S. Senator beginning in 1943. Because of illness, he was not running for reelection in

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

, and he died in September. The contest to succeed him was between Republican Karl E. Mundt and

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

John A. Engel.

U.S. Senator

On October 6, 1948, Vera Bushfield was appointed to the Senate to temporarily fill the vacancy caused by her husband's death. Governor George T. Mickelson appointed her with the understanding that she would resign before the end of the term. During her tenure, the Senate was not in session, so Bushfield chose to remain in

Pierre Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

with a small staff and attend to constituent services rather than travel to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Mundt won the November election, and Bushfield resigned on December 26, 1948. Her resignation enabled Mickelson to appoint Mundt, giving him a few days of seniority over other senators elected in 1948, whose terms began in January 1949.

Later life

Bushfield maintained an interest in politics. In 1952, she endorsed Senator

Robert A. Taft Robert Alphonso Taft Sr. (September 8, 1889 – July 31, 1953) was an American politician, lawyer, and scion of the Republican Party's Taft family. Taft represented Ohio in the United States Senate, briefly served as Senate majority le ...

for president. Taft lost the Republican nomination to

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

, who went on to win the general election. In 1961, Bushfield took advantage of the floor privileges granted to former senators to speak to the U.S. Senate on the 100th anniversary of the creation of

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

. After a speech by

James Eastland James Oliver Eastland (November 28, 1904 February 19, 1986) was an American attorney, plantation owner, and politician from Mississippi. A Democrat, he served in the United States Senate in 1941 and again from 1943 until his resignation in late ...

in which he praised the career of Harlan Bushfield, Eastland yielded the floor to Senator

Francis H. Case Francis Higbee Case (December 9, 1896June 22, 1962) was an American journalist and politician who served for 25 years as a member of the United States Congress from South Dakota. He was a Republican. Biography Case was born in Everly, Iowa, t ...

, who introduced Vera Bushfield so she could deliver her remarks. Vera Bushfield died in

Fort Collins, Colorado Fort Collins is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality in Larimer County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The population was 169,810 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an i ...

, on April 16, 1976. She is buried at the G.A.R. Cemetery in Miller.

References

External links