Weldon B. Heyburn | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Heyburn,c. 1905–1912 | |
| United States Senator fromIdaho | |
| In office March 4, 1903 (1903-03-04) – October 17, 1912 (1912-10-17) | |
| Preceded by | Henry Heitfeld |
| Succeeded by | Kirtland Perky |
| Delegate to theIdaho Constitutional Convention | |
| In office July 4, 1889 – August 6, 1889 | |
| Constituency | Shoshone County |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Weldon Brinton Heyburn May 23, 1852 |
| Died | October 17, 1912(1912-10-17) (aged 60) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Birmingham-Lafayette Cemetery Birmingham Township, Pennsylvania 39°54′23″N75°35′39.1″W / 39.90639°N 75.594194°W /39.90639; -75.594194 (Weldon B. Heyburn Burial Site) |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Gheretein Yeatman[1][2] (1854–1934) (m. 1903–1912, his death)[3] |
| Parent(s) | John Brinton Heyburn[4] (1826–1874) Sarah Gilpin Heyburn (1830–1912) |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
| Profession | Attorney |
Weldon Brinton Heyburn (May 23, 1852 – October 17, 1912) was an American attorney and politician who served as aUnited States senator fromIdaho from 1903 to 1912.
Born in southeasternPennsylvania nearChadds Ford, Pennsylvania, Heyburn's parents wereQuakers ofEnglishdescent.[3][4][5] He attended the public schools there, including the Maplewood Institute inConcordville and theUniversity of Pennsylvania. His brother, William Heyburn (1861–1939), eventually moved west toLouisville,Kentucky, where he became a leading citizen and president ofBelknap Hardware and Manufacturing Company.
Heyburnstudied law under Edward A. Price and was admitted to the bar in 1876 and commenced practice inMedia, Pennsylvania,.[6] With the mining boom inColorado, he moved west toLeadville, where he practiced law for several years. In 1883, Heyburn moved to theSilver Valley ofnorthernIdaho and continued the practice of law inWallace inShoshone County. Heyburn was a member of theIdaho Constitutional Convention in 1889.[2]
On August 30, 1884, Heyburn staked the Polaris discovery, northeast of, and 26 days before, the Blake's discovery of the Yankee Boy and Yankee Girl ore bodies. After his death in 1912, a nephew mined some ore from the Polaris in a limited fashion.Hecla Mining took over the Polaris in 1930, while the Yankee Boy mine became the core of theSunshine Mine in 1918.[7]
Heyburn was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for election in 1898 to the56th Congress, losing toSilver RepublicanEdgar Wilson. In January 1903, Heyburn was elected by theIdaho Legislature to theU.S. Senate, defeating DemocratJames Hawley, 50 to 17.[6][8][9] Boise attorneyWilliam Borah was the runner-up for the Republican nomination, 28 to 22,[10] and won the other Senate seat four years later. Others in the race were former Governor and SenatorGeorge Shoup, and Judge D.W. Standrod; both dropped out and gave their supportto Heyburn.[11][12][13]
Heyburn was re-elected by the legislature January 1909,[14][15] and was chairman of theCommittee on Manufactures (58th through62nd Congresses). During his career, he opposedGifford Pinchot's call fornational forests because he did not agree with thefederal government controlling vast amounts of land inwesternstates.[16] He also foughtPresidentTheodore Roosevelt on many of theProgressive Era ideas, such as an 8-hour work day and child welfare laws.
The largest man in the Senate, Heyburn had collapsed on the Senate floor after delivering a speech in March 1912,[5] and been in ill health for most of the year prior to his death at age 60 inWashington, D.C., on October 17.[1] He was interred atBirmingham-Lafayette Cemetery inBirmingham Township, Pennsylvania.[17]
Heyburn is best remembered for introducing the bill which became thePure Food and Drug Act in 1906.[12][18]
In the state of Idaho, the city ofHeyburn inMinidoka County is named for him, as well asMount Heyburn, a jagged peak in theSawtooth Mountains.[19] The mountain tops out at 10,229 feet (3,118 m) abovesea level, and overlooksRedfish Lake in theSawtooth National Recreation Area, just south ofStanley inCuster County.
Heyburn State Park, the Northwest's oldeststate park, is inBenewah County at the southern end ofLake Coeur d'Alene. It was created in 1908; Senator Heyburn had attempted to secure it as anational park.[20][21] The legislature named it after Heyburn in 1911, while he was stillin office.[22]
| U.S. Senate | ||
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| Preceded by | U.S. senator from Idaho 1903–1912 | Succeeded by |
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