Representative Sala Galante Burton

Sala Galante Burton (née Galante; April 1, 1925 – February 1, 1987) was a Polish-born American politician who served as a United States Representative from California from 1983 until her death in 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented a San Francisco–based district in the House of Representatives and contributed to the legislative process during three terms in office. Her service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, and she participated actively in the democratic process while representing the interests of her constituents.

Burton was born Sala Galante into a Jewish family in Białystok, Poland, on April 1, 1925. In 1939, on the eve of the German invasion of Poland during World War II, her family immigrated to the United States, settling in San Francisco, California. She attended public schools in San Francisco, integrating into American life as a young immigrant, and later pursued higher education at the University of San Francisco. Her early experiences as a Jewish refugee from Europe and as an immigrant in California helped shape her political outlook and commitment to public service.

Burton began her professional and political career in California shortly after World War II. From 1948 to 1950 she served as associate director of the California Public Affairs Institute, a role that introduced her to statewide policy issues and civic engagement. She quickly rose within Democratic Party ranks, serving as vice president of the California Democratic Council from 1951 to 1954, where she helped organize grassroots party activity and broaden Democratic participation. From 1957 to 1959 she was president of the San Francisco Democratic Women’s Forum, a position that placed her at the forefront of efforts to expand women’s involvement and leadership in Democratic politics at the local and state levels.

Over the following decades, Burton became a prominent figure in Democratic Party affairs nationally as well as in California. She served as a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1956, 1976, 1980, and 1984, reflecting her long-standing influence within the party and her role in shaping its platforms and leadership choices. Through these activities she developed extensive connections within national Democratic circles and deepened her engagement with issues affecting both her San Francisco constituency and the broader country.

Burton’s congressional career began after the death of her husband, United States Representative Phillip Burton, a powerful and long-serving member of the House from San Francisco. She was elected as a Democrat to the 98th Congress by special election on June 21, 1983, to fill the vacancy caused by his death. She was subsequently reelected to two succeeding Congresses, serving continuously from 1983 until her death in 1987. During her three terms in office, she contributed to the legislative process and represented the interests of her constituents in a period marked by debates over domestic policy, social programs, and U.S. foreign policy in the late Cold War era. In Congress, she also played a key role in mentoring emerging political leaders, most notably Nancy Pelosi, whom she encouraged and supported as a successor; Pelosi went on to win the special election to replace Burton after her death and later became Speaker of the House.

Burton’s personal life was closely intertwined with her political career. She first married Irving Lipschultz, with whom she had one daughter, Joy; the couple divorced in 1951. She met her second husband, Phillip Burton, at a California Young Democrats convention in 1950, and they married in 1953. The couple raised her daughter Joy together while building a powerful political partnership that helped shape San Francisco and California Democratic politics for decades. Their joint legacy in public service is commemorated in San Francisco by Phillip & Sala Burton High School, located on the site of the former Woodrow Wilson High School, which is named in honor of both of them.

Sala Galante Burton died from colon cancer on February 1, 1987, in Washington, D.C., while still serving in the House of Representatives, placing her among the members of Congress who have died in office in the latter half of the twentieth century. She was buried in San Francisco National Cemetery in the Presidio, returning in death to the city that had been her home since childhood and the base of her political career. As a Polish-born Jewish immigrant, a woman in the United States House of Representatives, and a long-time Democratic activist, she is remembered as part of the broader history of Jewish members of Congress and of women who expanded representation and leadership in the national legislature.