Harlan J. Bushfield & Vera S. Cahalan Bushfield

The bronze gives Vera Bushfield one line, and her Senate term was nearly as short. Born in Miller in 1889, she married Harlan in 1912 and was first lady through his two terms as governor. When he died in Miller on September 27, 1948, Governor Mickelson appointed her to the seat on the understanding that she would resign before Congress returned. She never went to the Capitol, tending constituent services from Pierre, and resigned on December 26 so that Karl Mundt, already elected, could take the seat early and gain seniority.

What the plaque says

Harlan J. Bushfield & Vera S. Cahalan Bushfield Harlan J. Bushfield, born August 6, 1882 in Atlantic, Iowa, came to Miller in 1883. He earned his law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1904 and returned to Miller to practice law. In 1912, Bushfield married Vera Cahalan, a fellow Miller native. The Bushfields were community leaders in Miller and both served on many boards. Harlan also served as Hand County State's Attorney and as state chairman of the South Dakota Republican Party. Harlan was elected South Dakota Governor in 1938. He led the state through the beginning of World War II. He reduced state spending, cut sales and property taxes, and lobbied to end the state income tax. He promoted regional plans for Missouri River development, which led to the Pick-Sloan plan for dam construction. In 1942, Harlan was elected to the U.S. Senate. He suffered a stroke and died in 1948 before the end of his term. Vera was appointed to her husband's seat, making her the second woman to represent South Dakota in Congress. Harlan and Vera Bushfield were public servants who carried small town values from Miller, to Pierre, and onto Washington, D.C.

Where it stands

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