Burton Erwin Sweet (December 10, 1867 – January 3, 1957) was a four-term Republican

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

Iowa's 3rd congressional district Iowa's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers its southwestern quadrant, which roughly consists of an area stretching from Des Moines to the borders with Nebraska and Missouri. From 2013 to ...

, then a wide but short chain of counties in north-central and northeastern Iowa, in the shape of a monkey wrench. Born on a farm near

Waverly, Iowa Waverly is a city in Bremer County, Iowa, United States. The population was 10,394 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Bremer County and is part of the Waterloo– Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The sister cit ...

, Sweet attended the common schools and the Iowa State Normal School at Cedar Falls. He graduated from

Cornell College Cornell College is a private college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by George Bryant Bowman. Four years later, in 1857, the name was changed to Cornell College, in honor of iron ty ...

Mount Vernon, Iowa Mount Vernon is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, adjacent to the city of Lisbon. The population was 4,527 at the time of the 2020 census. Mount Vernon is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Mount Vernon ...

in 1893, and from the

University of Iowa College of Law The University of Iowa College of Law is the law school of the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. It was founded in 1865. Iowa is ranked the 28th-best law school in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or U ...

Iowa City Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...

in 1895. 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 1895 and commenced practice in Waverly. He was Waverly's

city solicitor A city attorney is a position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city a ...

from 1896 to 1899. In 1900 he was elected to the first of two two-year terms in the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

. In 1902, after 3rd congressional district Congressman and

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section 2 of the U. ...

David B. Henderson David Bremner Henderson (March 14, 1840 – February 25, 1906), a ten-term United States Republican Party, Republican United States House of Representatives, congressman from Dubuque, Iowa, was the speaker of the United States House of Repre ...

announced his retirement from Congress, Sweet finished third on each convention ballot for the Republican nomination, losing to

Benjamin P. Birdsall Benjamin Pixley Birdsall (October 26, 1858 – May 16, 1916) was a three-term Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 3rd congressional district during the first decade of the 20th century. Biography Born in Weyauwega, Wisconsin, Birdsall at ...

. In 1904, when Sweet's final term in the legislature ended, he served as delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

. He was also a member of the Republican State Central Committee from 1902 to 1906. Although he was a lawyer, he also owned two sections of farmland. In 1908, Sweet was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for the seat vacated by Congressman Birdsall. He was defeated by Charles E. Pickett, who won the general election and was re-elected to a second term in 1910. In 1914, Sweet 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 represent Iowa's 3rd congressional district in the

Sixty-fourth Congress The 64th 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, DC from March 4, 1915, to M ...

, replacing incumbent Democratic Congressman

Maurice Connolly Maurice Connolly (March 13, 1877 – May 28, 1921) was elected in 1912 to a single term as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 3rd congressional district. After giving up his House seat in an unsuccessful bid fo ...

(who had run for the U.S. Senate). He was re-elected three consecutive times. In 1922, an opportunity to run for the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

arose because Iowa Senator William S. Kenyon resigned before the completion of his term to accept an appointment as federal judge, thus forcing a special election. Instead of running for a fifth term in the House, Sweet ran for Kenyon's former seat. In a six-way Republican primary, Sweet lost to insurgent

Smith W. Brookhart Smith Wildman Brookhart (February 2, 1869November 15, 1944), was twice elected as a Republican to represent Iowa in the United States Senate. He was considered an "insurgent" within the Republican Party. His criticisms of the Harding and the C ...

."Brookhart Given 41.1 Percent on All Primary Ballots," Waterloo Evening Courier, 1922-06-07 at 1. In all, Sweet served in the House from March 4, 1915, to March 3, 1923. Sweet resumed the practice of law. Two years later, however, Sweet had another opportunity to run for the same Senate seat, and by then Brookhart had lost the support of Iowa Republican Party leaders because of his anti-business, pro-

union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

stances, and this time Sweet was Brookhart's only serious challenger in the Republican Primary. However, Brookhart won the Primary again, defeating Sweet again, this time by over 30,000 votes."Brookhart wins by 32,000; no choice for governor," Davenport Democrat-Leader, 1924-06-04 at p. 1. Sweet died in

, on January 3, 1957. He was interred in Harlington Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweet, Burton Erwin 1867 births 1957 deaths Republican Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives Iowa lawyers People from Waverly, Iowa Cornell College alumni University of Iowa College of Law alumni University of Northern Iowa alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa People from Cedar Falls, Iowa