Alfred Avery Burnham (March 8, 1819 – April 11, 1879) was an American politician who served as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

and as

Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut The following is a list of lieutenant governors of the State of Connecticut. Lieutenant governors of the State of Connecticut, 1776–present Notes References ;Constitutions * * * ;Specific External linksOfficial website of the L ...

Biography

Born in

Windham, Connecticut Windham is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. It contains the former city of Willimantic as well as the boroughs of Windham Center, North Windham, and South Windham. Willimantic, an incorporated city since 1893, was consol ...

, Burnham completed a preparatory course and attended college for one year before studying law. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1843 and commenced practice in Windham. He served as member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

in 1844, 1845, 1850, and 1858, serving as speaker in 1858. He served as clerk of the

Connecticut Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sen ...

in 1847, and was the 48th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut in 1857. Burnham was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1862. He was again a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1870 and served again as speaker. He died in Windham, Connecticut, on April 11, 1879, aged 60. He was interred in Windham Cemetery, Windham Center, Connecticut.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burnham, Alfred A. 1819 births 1879 deaths People from Windham, Connecticut Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Lieutenant Governors of Connecticut Republican Party Connecticut state senators Speakers of the Connecticut House of Representatives Connecticut lawyers 19th-century American legislators Burials at Windham Cemetery 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century Connecticut politicians