Bill Burlison | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Anne Arundel County Council from the 4th district | |
| In office December 1998 – December 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Bert L. Rice |
| Succeeded by | Gerald James "Jamie" Benoit, Jr. |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMissouri's10th district | |
| In office January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Paul C. Jones |
| Succeeded by | Bill Emerson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Billy Dean Burlison (1931-03-15)March 15, 1931 Wardell, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | March 17, 2019(2019-03-17) (aged 88) Wardell, Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Southeast Missouri State University (B.A.,B.S.) University of Missouri (M.Ed.,LL.B.) Catholic University of America (M.A.) American University (LL.M.) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Billy Dean Burlison[1] (March 15, 1931 – March 17, 2019) was an American lawyer and politician who held office in the states ofMissouri andMaryland.[2]
Burlison, the son of John Ivy "J.I." and Lillie (née Marler) Burlison,[3] was born and died inWardell, Missouri. He attendedSoutheast Missouri State University and earned his law degree from theUniversity of Missouri. Burlison was admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Missouri courts. He served in theUnited States Marine Corps. Burlison was aDemocrat. He represented Missouri as a member of the U. S. Congress starting with theNinety-first United States Congress in 1969 until he was defeated in a bid for a seventh-term byBill Emerson in 1980.[3]
He moved to Maryland shortly after his congressional defeat. Burlison was an unsuccessful candidate for theMaryland House of Delegates in 1986 and 1990. He was elected to theCounty Council ofAnne Arundel County, Maryland County Council in 1998 and re-elected to a second and final term in 2002. Four months after entering the race forCongress in the 3rd District in the 2006 election, he withdrew his candidacy on November 3, 2005.[4]
After Burlison returned to his native Missouri, he settled inAdvance, Missouri, he ran for election to the 159th Missouri legislative district in 2008 and 2010. He lost overwhelmingly both times toBilly Pat Wright. Campaign literature states that he wasSoutheast Missouri State University student body president in 1952, was a veteran Marine, and was the only person in the country with 7 academic degrees.[5] Burlison moved to his birthplace of Wardell, Missouri, to run for the 149th district in 2014 as state representativeSteve Hodges was facing a term limit.[6] He lost to Republican Don Rone, 2,770 (42.15%) to 3,802 (57.85%).[7]
On February 23, 2016, he filed to run for theMissouri Senate against incumbent RepublicanDoug Libla, and was unopposed in the Democratic primary.[8] On November 8, 2016, Libla won re-election with 69.35% of the vote.[9]
Burlison married Barbara Humphreys in 1955; they had three children and divorced in 1983.[10] He married Michal Sue Mickey Prosser in 1995 and they remained married until his death.[10]
Burlison died on March 17, 2019, at age 88.[10]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMissouri's 10th congressional district 1969–1981 | Succeeded by |
