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Denton Graves Burdick (March 25, 1891 – September 1, 1970) was an American politician and attorney from the state of
Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
. He was 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 ...
who served fourteen years in the Oregon House of Representatives, where he represented a large
rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...
district in eastern Oregon. He served as
Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives #REDIRECT List of speakers of the Oregon House of Representatives #REDIRECT List of speakers of the Oregon House of Representatives {{R from other capitalisation ...
{{R from other capitalisation ...
during the 1925 legislative session. At the time he was elected speaker, he was the youngest person in Oregon history to serve in that position.


Early life

Burdick was born in
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is the only city in, and county seat of, Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 13,337 at the 2020 census, it is the second-most populated city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette. It i ...
on 25 March 1891, the son of Nelson A. and Minerva (Hicks) Burdick. He attended school there, graduating from high school at the age of sixteen. Later, his family moved to Fargo,
North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...
. Burdick attended college at the
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
. He worked his way through the law school as a journalist, reporting for a North Dakota newspaper.Carney, Charles H.
"Biography of Hon. Denton G. Burdick"
''History of Oregon Illustrated'' (Vol. 3), Pioneer Historical Publishing Company, Chicago and Portland, 1922, pp. 634–637."Who's Who in the House"
''Oregon Voter'' (Vol. 31, No. 13), Portland, Oregon, 30 December 1922, pp. 73–74. In 1912, Burdick moved to
Central Oregon Central Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards ...
with his father who had on-going business interests there. He opened a law practice in
Redmond, Oregon Redmond is a city in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. Incorporated on July 6, 1910, the city is on the eastern side of Oregon's Cascade Range, in the High Desert in Central Oregon. From Redmond there is access to recreational opportuni ...
and joined his father as a partner in several banking and land development enterprises. In 1913, he married Zoa Mae Bronson of
Spencer, Iowa Spencer is a city in the state of Iowa, United States, and the county seat of Clay County. It is located at the confluence of the Little Sioux and Ocheyedan rivers. The population was 11,325 in the 2020 census, an increase from 11,317 in 2000. ...
. That same year, he became a local police judge in Redmond, a position he kept until 1917.


State representative (1917–24)

In 1916, Burdick ran for a seat the Oregon House of Representatives as a Republican. He was elected at the age of 25 and took his seat in the Oregon House on 8 January 1917, representing District 21. His district included
Crook Crook is another name for criminal. Crook or Crooks may also refer to: Places * Crook, County Durham, England, a town * Crook, Cumbria, England, village and civil parish * Crook Hill, Derbyshire, England * Crook, Colorado, United States, a ...
, Deschutes,
Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom * Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama * Grant, Inyo County, ...
,
Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...
,
Klamath Klamath may refer to: Ethnic groups *Klamath people, a Native American people of California and Oregon **Klamath Tribes, a federally recognized group of tribes in Oregon *Klamath language, spoken by the Klamath people Places in the United States * ...
, and
Lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
counties, a large rural district covering more than . This is larger than a number of eastern states. He served through the 1917 regular legislative session which ended in mid-February. During the session, Burdick proved to be an effective legislator, serving as chairman of the resolutions committee as well as a member of the game, irrigation, and revision of laws committees. After the legislative session ended, Burdick returned to his law practice in Redmond."Burdick of Redmond Will Run Again for Legislature"
''Oregon Daily Journal'', Portland, Oregon, 27 January 1918, p. 3. In 1918, Burdick decided to run for re-election. He campaigned for better roads in eastern Oregon, credit for farmers and rural development projects, and continued support for the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
war effort in Europe. He was returned to the state legislature in the November 1918 general election. Once the election was over, he began actively seeking support for the speaker of the House position. Burdick secured almost enough pledged votes to be elected speaker, but two other candidates seeking the speaker position combined their efforts and raised a thin majority for Seymour Jones, a representative from Marion County. When the House was organized in January 1919, Speaker Jones appointed Burdick to the judiciary, corporations, and public lands committees. He served through the 1919 regular session from mid-January through the end of February, and then a one-week special session in January 1920. Burdick ran for re-election again in 1920. A total of four candidates filed for the two seats in House District 21. In addition to Burdick, H. J. Overturf of Bend and H. A. Brattain of Paisley filed as Republicans while R. E. Bradbury of Klamath Falls was the only
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...
to file in District 21. Burdick and Overturf were nominated in the Republican primary and went on to beat Bradbury in the general election. He served through the 1921 session from 10 January through 23 February and then in a short special session in December of that year. During these sessions, Burdick was chairman of the judiciary committee and as a member of the resolutions, roads and highways, irrigation, and fisheries committees. In early 1922, Burdick announced he would run for a fourth term in the House; and if elected, he would be a candidate for speaker. As part of his campaign, Burdick traveled around the state meeting with Republican legislative candidates seeking their support for speaker. Jay H. Upton, central Oregon's influential state senator, joined him in many of these meeting. Burdick and two other Republicans won District 21's three House seats. However, Kaspar K. Kubli of Multnomah County was elected speaker. Burdick served in the 1923 legislative session from 8 January through 22 February. During the session, he was a member of the resolutions, expositions and fairs, irrigation, and revision of laws committees.


State representative (1925–30)

Burdick ran for re-election in 1924, campaigning for immediate expansion of the state's highway system and against any tax increases. Burdick won both Republican and Democratic primaries so was unopposed in the general election. Within two weeks of the general election, 55 of the 60 state representatives had pledged to support Burdick for speaker. The 1925 legislative session opened on 12 January, Burdick was elected the presiding officer in the House. At the time he was elected, Burdick was the youngest person ever elected speaker."Collier, Burdick, Hamilton candidates for Legislature"
''Evening Herald'', Klamath Falls, Oregon, 15 March 1928, pp. 1 & 8. During the six-week session, Burdick was recognized for his leadership and organizational efficiency. In March 1926, Burdick file for re-election in District 21. He won the Republican primary and was then unopposed in the general election. While he was the incumbent speaker, he did not run for a second term in that post. He served in the 1927 legislative session as chairman of the judiciary committee and was also a member of the resolutions committee."Denton G. Burdick to leave District"
''Bend Bulletin'', Bend, Oregon, 9 January 1929, pp. 1 & 4. During the session, he focused on water and irrigation related legislation, introducing several bills that would have freed irrigation districts from state certification and eliminated the state's irrigation oversight board. In 1928, Burdick ran for a seventh term in the House. He easily won one of three District 21 seats."1929 Regular Session (35th): January 14 – March 4"
''Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide'', Oregon Secretary of State, Salem, Oregon, accessed 8 June 2016. Shortly after the general election, Burdick announced that he planned to relocate to
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
once the legislative session was over. Then the day before the legislative session began, he was injured in an automobile crash on icy road near
Sisters, Oregon Sisters is a city in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,038 at the 2010 census. History The community takes its name from the nearby Three Sisters mount ...
. He broke his collar bone in the accident but was able to return to the legislature before the session ended.


Later life and death

Shortly after the 1929 legislative session adjourned on 4 March, Burdick moved his family to Portland. However, he kept his law office in Redmond open. The family also retained their summer home on the
Metolius River The Metolius River (pronounced ''muh TOLL ee us'') is a tributary of the Deschutes River (through Lake Billy Chinook) in Central Oregon, United States, near the city of Sisters. The river flows north from springs near Black Butte, then turns sha ...
. Once he was settled in Portland, Burdick continued his law practice throughout Oregon. In May 1929, a former client named Sarah Smith-Shollard sued Burdick for $46,500. Smith-Shollard had hired Burdick to recover approximately $2,000,000 from her former husband. While Burdick was successful in reclaiming some of her lost assets, Smith-Shollard believed he should have recovered more. Burdick counter sued Smith-Shollard for unpaid legal bills that she still owed him. Eventually, Burdick won a $24,000 judgement against Smith-Shollard after she failed to appear in court. At the time, her new lawyer said he had not heard from her in over two years, since she filed the original lawsuit. In 1936, Burdick announced that he would once again run for a seat in Oregon House of Representatives, this time representing
Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland–Vancouver– Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Th ...
. However, he withdrew from the race a few weeks later, citing on-going business activities as his reason. Burdick remained a practicing attorney for a number of years, retiring sometime before 1963. He died 1 September 1970 in Portland, Oregon at the age of 79."Denton G. Burdick Sr", ''The Oregonian'', Portland, Oregon, 27 March 1970.


References


External links


Earliest Authorities in OregonList of Oregon Legislators by Session
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burdick, Denton G. Speakers of the Oregon House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Oregon lawyers People from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan People from Redmond, Oregon Politicians from Portland, Oregon 1891 births 1970 deaths Lawyers from Portland, Oregon University of Iowa alumni Politicians from Fargo, North Dakota Journalists from North Dakota 20th-century American lawyers Lawyers from Fargo, North Dakota 20th-century American legislators 20th-century American journalists American male journalists