Preceded by Phillip Burton Full Name Sala Galante Name Sala Burton Party Democratic Party | Succeeded by Nancy Pelosi Political party Democratic Spouse Phillip Burton Resigned February 1, 1987 | |
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Born April 1, 1925
Bialystok, Poland ( 1925-04-01 ) Died February 1, 1987, Washington, D.C., United States | ||
Sala Burton (April 1, 1925 – February 1, 1987) was a United States Representative from California serving from 1983 until her death from colon cancer in Washington, D.C in 1987.
Life and career
She was born Sala Galante in Bialystok, Poland. She attended public schools in San Francisco and University of San Francisco. She was the associate director of the California Public Affairs Institute from 1948 to 1950. She was the vice president of the California Democratic Council from 1951 to 1954. She served as president of the San Francisco Democratic Women's Forum from 1957 to 1959.
Burton served as a delegate to Democratic National Conventions, 1956, 1976, 1980, and 1984. She was elected as a Democrat to the 98th Congress by special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of her husband, United States Representative Phillip Burton. She was reelected to the two succeeding Congress terms.
She died from colon cancer on February 1, 1987, in Washington, D.C. and was buried in the Presidio of San Francisco.
Phillip & Sala Burton High School, on the site of the former Woodrow Wilson High School in San Francisco is named for Sala and her husband.