Summary
Sala Burton (née Galante; April 1, 1925 – February 1, 1987) was a Polish-born American politician who served as a United States Representative from California from 1983 until her death from colon cancer in Washington, D. C., in 1987.
Sala Burton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 5th district | |
| In office June 21, 1983 – February 1, 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Phillip Burton |
| Succeeded by | Nancy Pelosi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sala Galante April 1, 1925 Białystok, Podlaskie, Poland |
| Died | February 1, 1987 (aged 61) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Presidio of San Francisco |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Irving Lipschultz |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | John Burton (brother-in-law) |
Early life and education edit
She was born Sala Galante into a Jewish family in Białystok, Poland, on April 1, 1925.[1] The family immigrated to the US in 1939, before the German invasion of Poland,[2] and she attended public schools in San Francisco and then the University of San Francisco.[1]
Career edit
She was the associate director of the California Public Affairs Institute from 1948 to 1950. She was the vice president of the California Democratic Council from 1951 to 1954. She served as president of the San Francisco Democratic Women's Forum from 1957 to 1959.
Burton served as a delegate to Democratic National Conventions, 1956, 1976, 1980, and 1984. She was elected as a Democrat to the 98th Congress by special election on June 21, 1983, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of her husband, United States Representative Phillip Burton.[3]
She was reelected to the two succeeding Congress terms and mentored her successor and future Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who replaced Burton after her death in 1987.[4]
Personal life edit
Galante married Irving Lipschultz. Together, they had one daughter, Joy.[2] They divorced in 1951.[2] Galante met her second husband Phillip Burton at a California Young Democrats convention in 1950. They were married from 1953 until Phillip Burton's death in 1983. They raised her daughter, Joy, together.[1]
Legacy edit
Phillip & Sala Burton High School, on the site of the former Woodrow Wilson High School in San Francisco, is named after the couple.
Death and succession edit
Burton died from colon cancer on February 1, 1987, in Washington, D.C., and was buried in the San Francisco National Cemetery in the Presidio.[1][5]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d "BURTON, Sala Galante". U.S. House of Representatives Office of the Historian. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
- ^ a b c Irving, Carl (April 12, 1983). "Warmth, savvy among Sala Burton's political assets". San Francisco Examiner. p. 2. Retrieved August 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gamarekian, Barbara; Times, Special To the New York (July 29, 1983). "WORKING PROFILE; 'THE POPULAR BURTON' AND HER MISSION". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ Ferris, Sarah (November 17, 2022). "Pelosi's precision: How 35 years in Congress shaped the end of her reign". POLITICO.
- ^ "Rep. Sala Burton, Who Replaced Husband in Congress, Dies at 61". Los Angeles Times. February 2, 1987. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
External links edit
- United States Congress. "Sala Burton (id: B001158)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Appearances on C-SPAN
