Zales Nelson Ecton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator fromMontana | |
| In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1953 | |
| Preceded by | Burton K. Wheeler |
| Succeeded by | Mike Mansfield |
| Member of theMontana Senate | |
| In office 1937–1946 | |
| Member of theMontana House of Representatives | |
| In office 1933–1937 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1898-04-01)April 1, 1898 Weldon, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | March 3, 1961(1961-03-03) (aged 62) Bozeman, Montana, U.S. |
| Resting place | Sunset Hills Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Montana State University (BS) University of Chicago (LLB) |
Zales Nelson Ecton (April 1, 1898 – March 3, 1961) was an American attorney and Republican politician fromMontana who represented the state in theUnited States Senate, serving from 1947 to 1953.
Ecton was born inWeldon, Iowa on April 1, 1898.[1] He moved with his family toGallatin County, Montana in 1907, when he was nine years old.[2] He attended the Gallatin County public schools. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business fromMontana State College and a Bachelor of Laws from theUniversity of Chicago Law School.[3][4]
In 1921, he became arancher and gained interests in grain andlivestock.[5]
Entering politics, Ecton was a member of theMontana House of Representatives from 1933 to 1935 and theMontana Senate from 1936 to 1946.[1] In1946, he ran for the MontanaUnited States Senate seat which was being vacated by DemocratBurton K. Wheeler, who had lost the Democratic primary.
As part of the Republican wave of the Senate in 1946, Ecton defeated Democratic former state Supreme Court JusticeLeif Erickson by a vote of 54% to 46%.[6] He served in the Senate for one term, having been narrowly defeated for reelection in1952 byU.S. RepresentativeMike Mansfield, a Democratic college professor and Far Eastern expert.[7]
While in the Senate, Ecton served on theUnited States Senate Committee on Appropriations, theUnited States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the Committee on the United States Post Office and Civil Service, and theUnited States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.[2]
Ecton was the only Republican U.S. senator from Montana for over 75 years, betweenJoseph M. Dixon's failed re-election bid in 1913 and the 1988 election ofConrad Burns, who served from 1989 to 2007. Ecton's papers are held byArchives and Special Collections at Montana State University.
In 1921, Ecton married Vera Harris. The couple had two children, Eloise and Zales N. Jr.[1]
Ecton resumed his ranching business until his death inBozeman, Montana on March 3, 1961, four weeks before his 63rd birthday. He was interred in Sunset Hills Cemetery.[3]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by E. K. Cheadle | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromMontana (Class 1) 1946,1952 | Succeeded by Lou Welch |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 1) from Montana 1947–1953 Served alongside:James Edward Murray | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 2 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
