Representative George Burnham

George Burnham (December 28, 1868 – June 28, 1939) was a banker and Republican politician from San Diego, California, who served as a Representative from California in the United States Congress from 1933 to 1937. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Imperial and San Diego Counties for two terms in the House of Representatives during a significant period in American history, contributing to the legislative process and participating in the democratic governance of the nation.

Burnham was born in London, England, on December 28, 1868, to James and Maria Ann Burnham. He attended public schools in London before immigrating to the United States with his parents in 1881. The family settled in Spring Valley, Minnesota, where he continued his education in the local public schools. Beginning in 1884, he worked as a clerk, a position he held until 1886. In 1887 he moved to Jackson, Minnesota, where he entered the retail shoe business, marking his first substantial foray into commerce and establishing the foundation for his later career in business and finance.

In 1901 Burnham relocated to Spokane, Washington, where he engaged in real estate and ranching, broadening his experience in land and property development. Two years later, in 1903, he moved to San Diego, California, which would remain his principal home and the base of his public and political life. In San Diego he continued in the real estate business in partnership with his brother John, a venture that lasted until 1917. That year he entered the banking field, beginning a long association with finance that underpinned his reputation as a banker and civic leader in the region.

Burnham was notably active in public affairs and civic promotion in San Diego. He was one of the organizers of the Panama–California Exposition, serving as a vice president of the exposition from 1909 to 1916, a role that helped showcase San Diego on the national and international stage. In 1910 he served as a member of the Honorary Commercial Commission to China, reflecting his involvement in international commercial relations. Later, from 1926 to 1932, he was a member of both the San Diego Library Commission and the San Diego Scientific Library, contributing to the cultural and educational life of the city. He also served as vice president of the California-Pacific International Exposition from 1935 to 1936, further cementing his standing as a leading civic figure.

Burnham’s political career at the national level began with his election as a Republican to the Seventy-third Congress in 1932. He was reelected in 1934 to the Seventy-fourth Congress, serving from 1933 to 1937. During his tenure in the House of Representatives, he represented the interests of his constituents in Imperial and San Diego Counties at a time marked by the Great Depression and the early New Deal era. Among his legislative interests, he worked to expand the presence of the United States Navy in San Diego, recognizing the strategic and economic importance of naval facilities to the region. In 1936 he drew up bills to add approximately 365,000 acres (1,460 km²) of federal land in the Carrizo and Vallecito areas to the newly created Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, contributing to the preservation and development of California’s desert lands. After serving two terms, he chose not to run again in 1936 and concluded his congressional service in 1937.

In his personal life, Burnham married Neva May Ashley on October 1, 1890. The couple had six children: Harold, Percy, Helen, Laurence, Virginia, and Ben. Following Neva May Ashley’s death, he later married Florence Kennett Dupee. His family life paralleled his rise as a businessman, civic leader, and public official, and his long residence in San Diego made him a well-known figure in the community.

After retiring from Congress, Burnham remained in San Diego, where he lived quietly following his long engagement in business, civic, and political affairs. He died in San Diego on June 28, 1939. He is interred in the Greenwood Cathedral Mausoleum at Greenwood Memorial Park in San Diego, California, leaving a legacy as a banker, civic promoter, and Republican congressman who helped shape the development of San Diego and its surrounding region.