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John Burton (American politician)

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John Burton
Chair of the California Democratic Party
In office
April 13, 2009 – May 20, 2017
Preceded byArt Torres
Succeeded byEric C. Bauman
Member of the California State Senate
from the 3rd district
In office
December 2, 1996 – December 6, 2004
Preceded byMilton Marks
Succeeded byCarole Migden
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from California
In office
June 4, 1974 – January 3, 1983
Preceded byWilliam S. Mailliard
Succeeded byPhillip Burton
Constituency6th district (1974–1975)
5th district (1975–1983)
Member of the California State Assembly
In office
April 14, 1988 – December 2, 1996
Preceded byArt Agnos
Succeeded byKevin Shelley
Constituency16th district (1988–1992)
12th district (1992–1996)
Chair of the California Democratic Party
In office
1973–1974
Preceded byCharles Manatt
Succeeded byBert Coffey
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 20th district
In office
January 4, 1965 – June 4, 1974
Preceded byPhillip Burton
Succeeded byDixon Arnett
Personal details
Born
John Lowell Burton

(1932-12-15) December 15, 1932 (age 91)
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
ChildrenKimiko Burton (daughter)
RelativesPhillip Burton (brother)
Sala Burton (sister-in-law)
EducationSan Francisco State College (BA)
University of San Francisco (JD)

John Lowell Burton (born December 15, 1932) is an American politician who served in both the California State Assembly and the United States House of Representatives. He was a member of the Democratic Party and represented California's 5th and 6th congressional districts.

Burton served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1974 to 1983, during which time he was a strong advocate for civil rights, environmental protection, and healthcare reform. He co-authored the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986, which imposed economic sanctions on South Africa in protest of its system of racial segregation known as apartheid. In 1988, Burton was elected to the California State Assembly (where he had previously served from 1965 to 1974), and served until forced out by term limits in 1996. At that time he was elected to the California State Senate, serving until reaching his term limit in 2004. During his time in the state Legislature, he championed progressive causes such as expanding access to healthcare, protecting the environment, and advancing civil rights.

After leaving the Legislature, Burton continued his involvement in politics and advocacy, serving as the chairman of the California Democratic Party from 2009 to 2017. He also established the John Burton Foundation for Children Without Homes, which works to improve the lives of foster children in California. Throughout his career, Burton has been recognized for his contributions to public service and advocacy, receiving numerous awards and honors, including the Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

Early life

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Burton was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Mildred (Leonard) and Thomas Burton, who was a salesman and physician.[1] He was raised in San Francisco. Burton earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in social science in 1954 from San Francisco State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of San Francisco School of Law.[2]

Political career

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After graduating from law school, Burton worked as an attorney in San Francisco, and as a lobbyist for Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).[citation needed]

Burton was elected to the California State Assembly in 1964. He served there from 1965 to 1974, and again from 1988 to 1996.

Following the release of the 1970 U.S. Census, John Burton and his older brother, Congressman Phil Burton, were in charge of drawing boundaries for the state's congressional districts (reapportionment).[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]

In 1973-1974, John Burton first served as chair of the California Democratic Party, a post he would also hold from 2009 to 2017.[citation needed]

Burton served in the U.S. House of Representatives, alongside his brother Phil, after winning a special election in 1974. Re-elected three times, he chose not to seek re-election to the House in 1982.

He was originally elected to the Assembly to succeed his brother, who had been elected to Congress and eventually would serve as Democratic caucus chairman. In April 1983, Phil Burton died in office and was succeeded by his widow Sala Burton, who won a special election that June. She served until her death in 1987, after which Nancy Pelosi won another special election to fill that seat. [16]

The Los Angeles Times reported: "After quitting Congress in 1982, Burton cleaned himself up in a rehabilitation center and spent nearly six years in private law practice before returning to where he started in elective office, the California Assembly, in 1988."[17]

John Burton was returned to the Assembly in a 1988 special election to succeed Art Agnos, who had been elected Mayor of San Francisco. Burton then won a full term that fall and was re-elected in 1990, at which time California voters passed term limits restricting Assembly members to three full terms (and state senators to two full terms) from then on.

Burton served the three terms he was still allowed in the Assembly; then, in 1996, he was elected to the state Senate. He was re-elected to a final term in the Senate in 2000. From 1998 to 2004, he served as the president pro tempore of the Senate.

As a legislator, Burton was known for expanding the Cal Grant scholarship program, and passing a law (subsequently defeated in a referendum) that would have required California businesses to pay for health coverage for their workers. The magazine California Journal said about Burton's departure from the Senate in 2004: "Gone will be the Senate's most vehement partisan for social services for the poor, the Senate's angriest voice against tax breaks for businesses and the wealthy, its loudest voice for protection of workers, its fiercest pro-labor advocate and its disciplinarian."[18]

Charitable work

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After leaving the Senate, Burton formed the John Burton Foundation, an organization that, according to its website, is "dedicated to improving the quality of life for California’s homeless children and developing policy solutions to prevent homelessness."

In February 2007, he was appointed board member of the University of Phoenix.[19]

In 2008, Burton settled a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment filed by Kathleen Driscoll, then the executive director of his charitable foundation. She claimed Burton sexually harassed her by making unwanted advances, suggestively raising his eyebrows and commenting on her body. At a 2008 news conference in her attorney's office, Driscoll said, "I had a dream of helping homeless children through a job I loved. John Burton turned that dream into a sexual harassment nightmare and quite frankly a living hell."[20] Burton's attorney, Susan Rubenstein, countered, saying, "John Burton has dedicated approximately a half-century of his life to public service, and if he were a sexual harasser, I think it would have been unearthed by now. I think the allegations are shocking and a shakedown and are absolutely meritless." Within hours Rubenstein received information that Driscoll had written or said complimentary things about Burton that contradicted her allegations. In a June 2007 e-mail to another foundation employee, Driscoll had written, "I love John because his heart is so good and pure." Rubenstein continued, "I just got off the phone with another [person] who felt compelled to tell me that she had lunch with Driscoll and she said Driscoll had nothing but admirable things to say about Mr. Burton."[20]

Party leadership (2009–2017) and aftermath

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On April 26, 2009, Burton was elected chair of the California Democratic Party (a post he had previously held some 35 years earlier), succeeding Art Torres. He received roughly 76% of the vote over his sole challenger, Chris Finnie of Santa Cruz.[21]

Burton stepped down from his party chairmanship in May 2017. He was succeeded by vice chairman Eric Bauman. At his farewell, he recalled a lesson learned early in life. Near tears he described walking in San Francisco with his father, who doled out whatever money he had to the poor. When John asked why, Burton recalled, "He put his finger in my face and told me he never ever wanted me to walk past some guy in bad circumstances without leaving something in the cup." Burton continued, "That's what Democrats do. …There’s a lot of people out there that if we don’t fight for them, nobody’s going to fight for them because they don’t have any power."

After promoting expanded medical care for Californians, he was extolled in a video and by a long line of effusive party luminaries. He was applauded for his decades-long leadership, leading protests against the Vietnam War, his support of Central Valley farmworkers, the homeless, and the needy. He finally ended his comments by raising both middle fingers and saying, "Fuck [Donald] Trump," to loud applause.[22]

San Francisco Port Commission

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Burton was appointed to the San Francisco Port Commission on October 22, 2020, by Mayor of San Francisco London Breed.[23]

Personal life

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Burton was previously married to Michele (née Hall[24]) Burton, daughter of Jack Hall, a Hawaiian trade unionist, and a healthcare consultant.[25] Their daughter, Kimiko Burton, served as San Francisco Public Defender from 2001 to 2003, and currently serves as a member of the California State Personnel Board.[26][27]

References

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  1. ^ Dunar, Andrew J. (2000). "Burton, Phillip (1926-1983), congressman | American National Biography". doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0700352. ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7.
  2. ^ "Guide to the John L. Burton Papers". oac.cdlib.org. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  3. ^ "California Voter Foundation - News articles on Prop. 11 Implementation". archive.calvoter.org. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  4. ^ Kelly, James (March 15, 1982). "The Zigzag Art of Politics". TIME. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  5. ^ Rabkin, April. "Gerrymandering: Why Your Vote Doesn't Count". Mother Jones. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  6. ^ https://capitolweekly.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Burton.P1.Transcription.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  7. ^ Turner, Wallace (May 24, 2015). "CALIFORNIA G.O.P. SEEKS TO VOID REDISTRICTING - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  8. ^ Robinson, Rich (November 24, 2021). "Robinson: Gerrymandering is American apartheid". San José Spotlight. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  9. ^ "Potential redistricting reset could tighten California Democrats' grip". Los Angeles Times. March 8, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  10. ^ https://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/64/2011/02/public_comment_20110226_hehmeyer.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  11. ^ http://www.its.caltech.edu/~kousser/redistricting/Reapportionment%20Wars.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  12. ^ https://sites.socsci.uci.edu/~bgrofman/55%20Owen-Grofman-Optimal%20Partisan%20Gerrymandering.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  13. ^ https://www.ppic.org/wp-content/uploads/content/pubs/report/R_1104BCR.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  14. ^ https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/232705048.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  15. ^ ""Safe as in their mother's arms": Confessions of a redistricting junkie". Capitol Weekly. March 23, 2006. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  16. ^ "Widow elected to fill seat of Phil Burton". Ocala Star-Banner. Associated Press. June 22, 1983. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  17. ^ "Senator Burton Yields Floor to Term Limits". Los Angeles Times. November 27, 2004. Archived from the original on March 14, 2021.
  18. ^ Murphy, Kathleen (September 15, 2004). "Term limits mean pink slip for Californias Burton". stateline.org. Archived from the original on April 12, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  19. ^ "Members of the Board of the University of Phoenix".
  20. ^ a b Reiterman, Tim (January 24, 2008). "Sexual harassment suit filed against John Burton". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  21. ^ Hecht, Peter (April 25, 2009). "Veteran pol Burton vows to lead Democratic future". Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009.
  22. ^ "California Democrats say farewell to party leader John Burton. To no one's surprise, he responded with profanity", latimes.com; accessed May 22, 2019.
  23. ^ Mayor London Breed Swears In John Burton To The San Francisco Port Commission, Patch.com, October 23, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  24. ^ http://www.vvfh.org/uploads/Comrades--1963.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  25. ^ *"The Last of the Burtons?". SF Weekly. February 6, 2002. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  26. ^ Redmond, Tim (February 23, 2019). "Public Defender Jeff Adachi dies". 48 hills. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  27. ^ Reports, Rafu (May 21, 2019). "Kimiko Burton Reappointed to State Personnel Board". Rafu Shimpo. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Burton.
California Assembly
Preceded by California State Assemblyman, 20th District
1965-1974 		Succeeded by
Dixon Arnett
Preceded by California State Assemblyman, 16th District
1988-1992 		Succeeded by
Preceded by California State Assemblyman, 12th District
1992-1996 		Succeeded by
California Senate
Preceded by California State Senator, 3rd District
1996–2004 		Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 6th congressional district
June 4, 1974–January 3, 1975 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 5th congressional district
1975–1983 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United States
as Former US Representative 		Succeeded byas Former US Representative
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