Bushfield, Vera Cahalan (1889–1976)
Bushfield, Vera Cahalan (1889–1976)
American politician. Born in Miller, South Dakota, Aug 9, 1889; died in Fort Collins, Colorado, April 16, 1976; graduate of Stout Institute in Menominee, Wisconsin, 1912; attended Dakota Wesleyan University and University of Minnesota; m. Harlan J. Bushfield (governor of South Dakota, 1939–1943, and US senator, 1943–1948).
First Lady of South Dakota, was also a US Republican senator in the 80th Congress (Oct 6, 1948–Dec 26, 1948), having been appointed by Governor George T. Mickelson to fill out the term of her late husband; carried out her senate duties in South Dakota, where she concentrated on constituency services, resigning her seat 6 days before the end of Congress so that Karl Mundt, who had won in the November election, could gain seniority by completing the final days of her husband's term.