Jocelyn Louise Burdick (''née'' Birch; February 6, 1922 – December 26, 2019) was an American politician from North Dakota who briefly served as a Democratic

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

during 1992. She was the first woman from the state to hold this office. At the age of 97, she was the oldest living former U.S. Senator for the last eight months of her life.

Early life and education

Burdick was born in Fargo, North Dakota, the daughter of Magdalena Towers (Carpenter) and Albert Birch. Her great-grandmother was suffragist and abolitionist

Matilda Joslyn Gage Matilda Joslyn Gage (March 24, 1826 – March 18, 1898) was an American writer and activist. She is mainly known for her contributions to women's suffrage in the United States (i.e. the right to vote) but she also campaigned for Native Ameri ...

. Burdick was the great-niece, by marriage, of

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...

, the author of '' The Wizard of Oz'', who was married to her great-aunt, activist Maud Gage Baum. She was educated at

Principia College Principia College (Principia or Prin) is a private liberal arts college in Elsah, Illinois. It was founded in 1912 by Mary Kimball Morgan with the purpose of "serving the Cause of Christian Science." "Although the College is not affiliated wit ...

and at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

Early career

After graduating from Northwestern, Burdick returned to Fargo working as a radio announcer at

KVOX KVOX may refer to: * KVOX-FM KVOX-FM (99.9 FM, "Froggy 99.9") is a country radio station located in Fargo, North Dakota (licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to twin city Moorhead, Minnesota), owned by Duey Wright's Midwes ...

radio. Burdick was engaged in civics throughout her marriage to Quentin Burdick. She was part of the official U.S. delegation to Russia in 1978 and she was a trustee to the Lake Agassiz Arts Council. Burdick helped to found the Democratic Women Plus in the early 1980s. She also recorded public service announcements against drunk driving and drug use in 1989.

U.S. Senate

Upon the death of her husband Senator

Quentin N. Burdick Quentin Northrup Burdick (June 19, 1908 – September 8, 1992) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, he represented North Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives (1959–1960) and the U.S ...

in September 1992, Jocelyn Burdick was appointed by Governor George Sinner to fill the vacancy in his position until a special election was held. She did not run as a candidate for election to the rest of the term. During her brief tenure in office, Burdick supported legislation on pay equity and women's rights. After

Kent Conrad Gaylord Kent Conrad (born March 12, 1948) is a former American politician who was a United States Senator from North Dakota. He is a member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, the North Dakota affiliate of the Democratic Party. First elec ...

took office in December 1992, Burdick retired to Fargo. Burdick was the first woman from North Dakota to serve in either house of the U.S. Congress. She lived in Fargo, where she remained active in politics. She was the oldest living former U.S. Senator on April 6, 2019, following the death of

Fritz Hollings Ernest Frederick "Fritz" Hollings (January 1, 1922April 6, 2019) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from South Carolina from 1966 to 2005. A conservative Democrat, he was also the 106th governor of South Carolina, ...

Personal life

Burdick was a devout

Christian Scientist Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes informally known ...

. Burdick's first husband was Kenneth Peterson. She had two children with Peterson. Peterson died in 1958 of a heart attack. Two years later she married Quentin Burdick. With Quentin she had another son, Gage. Gage died in 1978 from an accident with an electric belt sander. Burdick died in Fargo on December 26, 2019, at the age of 97.

References

External links