George Burnham
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

George Burnham (December 28, 1868 – June 28, 1939) was a
banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
and Republican
politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
from
San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
. He served two terms in the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
from 1933 to 1937.


Biography

Burnham was born 1868 in
London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, to James and Maria Ann Burnham. He immigrated in 1881 to the United States with his parents, who settled in
Spring Valley, Minnesota Spring Valley is a city in Fillmore County, Minnesota, Fillmore County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,479 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. History Spring Valley was laid out in 1855, and named for a spring near the ...
. He attended public schools in London and Minnesota. Burnham worked as a clerk from 1884 to 1886, then moved to
Jackson, Minnesota Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,323 at the 2020 census. History For centuries, many indigenous peoples called this area home, including the Cheyenne, Ioway, and D ...
, in 1887 where he entered the retail shoe business. In 1901, he moved to
Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...
, and worked in real estate and ranching. Burnham moved to San Diego in 1903 and continued to work in real estate with his brother John, until 1917 when he took up banking. Burnham was active in public affairs. Burnham was one of the organizers of the
Panama–California Exposition The Panama–California Exposition was a World's fair, world exposition held in San Diego, California, between January 1, 1915, and January 1, 1917. The exposition celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal, and was meant to tout San Diego as t ...
in 1909, serving as vice president from 1909 to 1916. He was also member of the Honorary Commercial Commission to China in 1910, member of the San Diego Library Commission 1926–1932, a member of the San Diego Scientific Library 1926–1932, and vice president of the California-Pacific International Exposition 1935–1936. Burnham married Neva May Ashley on October 1, 1890, and they had six children, Harold, Percy, Helen, Laurence, Virginia, and Ben. After she died, he married Florence Kennett Dupee.


Congress

Burnham was elected to the
73rd Congress The 73rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1933, ...
in 1932, and reelected in 1934, serving as Representative for
Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imper ...
and
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
counties. He worked to expand Navy presence in San Diego. In 1936, he drew up bills to add 365,000 acres (1460 km2) of federal land in the Carrizo and Vallecito areas to the newly created
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, AN-zə bə-RAY-goh'') is a California State Park located within the Colorado Desert of Southern California, United States. Created in 1932, the park takes its name from 18th ...
.


Later career and death

In 1936, he did not run again and retired in San Diego, where he lived until his death in 1939. Burnham is interred in the Greenwood Cathedral Mausoleum, in Greenwood Memorial Park.


Electoral history


Further reading

* Biography, pp. 221–222; includes portrait.


References


External links


Biography
(San Diego Historical Society). Based on biography in Heilbron (above) * (U.S. Congress) {{DEFAULTSORT:Burnham, George 1868 births 1939 deaths Businesspeople from San Diego Politicians from San Diego Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California English emigrants to the United States Burials at Greenwood Memorial Park (San Diego) People from Spring Valley, Minnesota People from Jackson, Minnesota Politicians from Spokane, Washington 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives