Evening star., 1960-08-20

USHER L. BURDICK
ceremony took place in an Ar
lington law Office on February
%, 1858.
Two and half months later,
the newlyweds separated and
carried on a public battle in
the courts. Mr.. Burdick sought
an annulment while his bride
sued for separate maintenance,
charging he had stopped sup
porting her.
Couple RecOnciIed
In another complaint to the
press, Mr.. Burdick said of his
wife: Il think she'd come back
If everybody would leave us
alone" She did come back and
the couple effected a 'reconcilia-
ton.
Although Mr.. Burdick was a
serious student of history-es-
pecially that of the Old West
his colorful personality kept
pushing his scholarly side to
the background.
He was. for instance, the only
member of Congress brash
enough to criticize his leader
President Eisenhower, for every
thing ranging from his cabinet
to what he served at White
House luncheonS.
In 1856 Mr.. Burdick told the
President he should make some
OF his cabinet members wear
muzzles so as to prevent the
dread hoof and mouth disease"
His particular target at the
time was Agriculture Secretary
Benson, whose name appeared
above 4 magazine article that
the Secretary later said ne had
not read.
AS for the White House
luncheon, the outspoken politi-
clan said: Il have been trying
Tor l6 years to find a place in
washington where they do not
serve string beans. But it was
no use. Here Cat the Presi-
dents luncheon they were
bigger and better than ever"
Always a Maverick
These same maverick ten
dencies also showed themselves
IN such actions as introducing
a bill to have Congress investi-
gate the Imprisonment of Ezra
Pound, the poet.
When legislation to control
food additiveS was under con-
sideration in Congress, Mr..
Burdick pleaded for action by
declaring: The American
public is fed up with being
treated like a huge aggrega-
ton of guinea pigs so far as
poisonous deleterious food ad-
ditiveS are concerned"
A big man - 6 feet l inch
tall and weighing close to 300
pounds-who played right end
on the University Of Mime
sofas championship football
teams of 1903 and 1904. Mr..
Burdick crashed INTO politics
lin 1906 with his election to
the North Dakota Legislature.
He was elected speaker of the
house in 1909 and served from
1911 to 1913 as North Dakota S
Lieutenant Governor. He was
first elected to Congress in
1884.
Father Bows Out
Mr.. Burdick early in 1858
said he would seek reelection
to an llth term in the House.
But on April l, 1858, he changed
his mind after the North
Dakota Nonpartisan League
backed his son. Quentin, for
the Democratic nomination for
the House.
The elder Burdick said it
would be too personal a thing"
to run against his son. Quentin
Burdick went on to win a
House seat in the fall general
election as one of two members
from the State elected at large
on a Statewide basis.
Mr.. Burdick was born
February 81, 1879, in Owatonna,
MINI.
He and his first wife, Emma
c. Rasmussen, were married
in 1901. They then entered the
University of Minnesota and
were graduated in 1904. They
later were divorced. She died
several years ago. Three
children, two sons and a
daughter, were born of that
marriage. All Of them became
lawyers.
In July. 1855, Mr.. Burdick
married Mrs. Edna Sierson, a
congressional secretary. Less
than a month later she was
killed when thrown from a
horse on Mr.. Burdick's ranch.
In addition to his wife and
Senator. Burdick, survivors in
clude a daughter, Mrs. Eileen
Levering of Fredericktown,
Ohio, wife of Representative
Robert Levering, Democrat: a
son, State District Judge Eugene
Burdick of Williston, N. Oak,
and eight grandchildren.