Burt Lacklen Talcott (February 22, 1920 – July 29, 2016) was an American

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

veteran and politician who served seven terms as a member of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washi ...

from the State of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

from 1963 to 1977.

Military career

Born in

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metr ...

, Talcott received his degree from Stanford University in 1942, after which he enlisted in the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

where he became a

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped ...

pilot. On a mission in a B-24 over

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, Talcott was shot down and captured, spending 14 months in a German Prisoner-of-war camp. Upon his discharge from the military in 1945 he received the

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

and Purple Heart with clusters.

Political career

Talcott served on the Monterey County, California Board of Supervisors and was president of the county board. Talcott was elected to the 88th United States Congress as a Republican and served an additional seven terms (January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1977) before losing his seat in 1976 to Leon Panetta in a close race, as Panetta prevailed with 53% of the vote. Following his loss, Talcott engaged in a variety of private and public legislative work.

Personal life

He resided in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

with his son and daughter-in-law, Ron & "Gigi" Talcott. He always made time for his faith and his family. He was elected to serve on the Charter Review Commission Dist. 7 Pos. 3 of Pierce County. His wife, Lee Taylor, whom he married in 1942, died in 2010. He died in Tacoma on July 29, 2016 at the age of 96. Both Lee and Burt played active roles in the raising of their two grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He could be found supporting his alma mater, Stanford, and making milkshake bets with his great-grandson over the outcome of their football games. The year he passed, he took a 10-hour road trip to Idaho, just to watch his 3rd eldest great-granddaughter graduate from high school.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Talcott, Burt L. 1920 births 2016 deaths 20th-century American politicians American prisoners of war in World War II County supervisors in California Politicians from Billings, Montana Recipients of the Air Medal Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California Shot-down aviators Stanford University alumni California lawyers United States Army Air Forces officers United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Germany 20th-century American lawyers

Military career

Political career

Personal life

See also

References

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