Burton Sweet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's3rd district | |
| In office March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1923 | |
| Preceded by | Maurice Connolly |
| Succeeded by | Thomas J. B. Robinson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1867-12-10)December 10, 1867 Waverly, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | January 3, 1957(1957-01-03) (aged 89) Waverly, Iowa, U.S |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Cornell College University of Iowa |
Burton Erwin Sweet (December 10, 1867 – January 3, 1957) was a four-term RepublicanU.S. Representative fromIowa's 3rd congressional district, 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 nearWaverly, Iowa, Sweet attended the common schools and theIowa State Normal School atCedar Falls. He graduated fromCornell College inMount Vernon, Iowa in 1893, and from theUniversity of Iowa College of Law atIowa City in 1895. He wasadmitted to the bar in 1895 and commenced practice in Waverly. He was Waverly'scity solicitor from 1896 to 1899. In 1900 he was elected to the first of two two-year terms in theIowa House of Representatives. In 1902, after 3rd congressional district Congressman andSpeaker of the United States House of RepresentativesDavid B. Henderson announced his retirement from Congress, Sweet finished third on each convention ballot for the Republican nomination, losing toBenjamin P. Birdsall.[1] In 1904, when Sweet's final term in the legislature ended, he served as delegate to theRepublican National Convention. 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 byCharles E. Pickett,[2] who won the general election and was re-elected to a second term in 1910.
In 1914, Sweet was elected as aRepublican to represent Iowa's 3rd congressional district in theSixty-fourth Congress, replacing incumbent Democratic CongressmanMaurice Connolly (who had run for the U.S. Senate).[3] He was re-elected three consecutive times. In 1922, an opportunity to run for theU.S. Senate arose because Iowa SenatorWilliam 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 insurgentSmith W. Brookhart.[4] 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 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.[5]
Sweet died inWaverly, Iowa, on January 3, 1957. He was interred in Harlington Cemetery.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIowa's 3rd congressional district 1915–1923 | Succeeded by |
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
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