Vera C. Bushfield

Vera Cahalan Bushfield (August 9, 1889 – April 16, 1976) was a U.S. Senator from South Dakota briefly in 1948, as well as the First Lady of South Dakota from 1939 to 1943. Bushfield's election also marked the first time a state had elected 2 female senators in its history.

Vera Bushfield
United States senator from South Dakota
In office October 6, 1948 – December 26, 1948
Appointed by	George Mickelson
Preceded by	Harlan Bushfield
Succeeded by	Karl Mundt
First Lady of South Dakota
In office January 3, 1939 – January 5, 1943
Governor	Harlan Bushfield
Preceded by	Elizabeth Ward Jensen
Succeeded by	Emily Auld Sharpe
Personal details
Born	(1889-08-09)August 9, 1889 Miller, South Dakota, U.S.
Died	April 16, 1976(1976-04-16) (aged 86) Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	University of Wisconsin, Stout (BA) Dakota Wesleyan University University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Biography

Born in Miller, South Dakota, she attended the public schools, graduated from the Stout Institute in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and also attended Dakota Wesleyan University and the University of Minnesota.

In 1912, she married Harlan J. Bushfield, and they had three children Mary J. (b. 1913), John P. (b. 1914), and Harlan J. (b. 1921). The Bushfields were residents of Miller.

Harlan Bushfield was an attorney and Republican Party official who served as Governor of South Dakota from 1939 to 1943. During his governorship, his wife was the official sponsor of the launch of the USS South Dakota (BB-57) on June 7, 1941, in Camden, New Jersey.

Harlan Bushfield served as a U.S. Senator from 1943 until his death in September 1948. He was not running for reelection in 1948, and the contest to succeed him was between Karl E. Mundt, the Republican nominee, and Democrat John A. Engel.

On October 6, 1948, Vera Bushfield was appointed to the Senate to temporarily fill the vacancy caused by her husband's death. She served from October 6, 1948, until her resignation on December 26, 1948. Mundt had won the November election, and her resignation enabled Governor George T. Mickelson to appoint Mundt to the vacancy, giving him a few days of additional seniority over other Senators elected in 1948, whose terms began in January 1949.

Vera Bushfield died in Fort Collins, Colorado on April 16, 1976. She is buried at the G.A.R. Cemetery in Miller.

See also

• Women in the United States Senate

References

• United States Congress. "Vera C. Bushfield (id: B001169)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Vera C. Bushfield at Find a Grave

U.S. Senate
Preceded by Harlan Bushfield	United States Senator (Class 2) from South Dakota 1948 Served alongside: Chandler Gurney	Succeeded by Karl Mundt