Elmer Jacob Burkett (December 1, 1867May 23, 1935) was a Representative and a Senator from

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. Burkett was born on a farm near

Glenwood, Iowa Glenwood is a city in, and the county seat of, Mills County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,073 in the 2020 census, a decline from 5,358 in 2000. History Located in a hollow of the Loess Hills on the east side of the Missouri River, ...

. He attended the public schools and graduated from Tabor College in 1890 and from the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Law The University of Nebraska College of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of University of Nebraska system. It was founded in 1888 and became part of University of Nebraska in 1891. According to Nebraska's official 2017 ABA-required di ...

in 1893. He served as principal of the

Leigh, Nebraska Leigh is a village in Colfax County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 405 at the 2010 census. History Leigh was founded in the 1870s. Leigh was the maiden name of the first postmaster's wife. A post office was established at Leigh in 1 ...

, public schools from 1890–1892; he was admitted to the bar in 1893 and commenced practice in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

. Burkett was a trustee of Tabor College from 1895-1905. He was a member of the

Nebraska House of Representatives The Nebraska House of Representatives was the lower house of the Nebraska Legislature during the days when Nebraska Territory, Nebraska was a territory from 1854 to 1867 and then again when Nebraska was a state from 1867 until 1937. In 1934, Nebras ...

1896-1898. Burkett 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 the Fifty-sixth, Fifty-seventh, and Fifty-eighth Congresses (March 4, 1899 – March 4, 1905); he was reelected to the Fifty-ninth Congress, but resigned, effective March 4, 1905, to become a Senator. He was elected as a Republican to the

United States 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 pow ...

and served from March 4, 1905 to March 3, 1911. During his term, he served as the chairman of the Committee on Indian Depredations (Fifty-ninth Congress) and on the Committee on Pacific Railroads (Fifty-ninth through Sixty-first Congresses). Burkett was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1910. He then resumed the practice of law in Lincoln; he declined the candidacy for

Governor of Nebraska The governor of Nebraska is the head of government of the U.S. state of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Constitution of Nebraska. The officeholder is elected to a four-year term, with elections held two years after presidential e ...

in 1912, and was also an unsuccessful candidate for the Vice Presidential nomination in 1912 after the death of incumbent James S. Sherman. He died in Lincoln on May 23, 1935, and was interred in Wyuka Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burkett, Elmer Jacob 1867 births 1935 deaths Nebraska lawyers University of Nebraska College of Law alumni Republican Party members of the Nebraska House of Representatives Republican Party United States senators from Nebraska People from Glenwood, Iowa Politicians from Lincoln, Nebraska Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska Tabor College (Iowa) alumni 19th-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians