Zales Ecton

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"Senator Ecton" redirects here. For the late Illinois state Senator, see George French Ecton.
Zales Nelson Ecton
Zales Nelson Ecton.jpg
United States Senator
from Montana
In office
January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1953
Preceded byBurton K. Wheeler
Succeeded byMike Mansfield
Member of the Montana Senate
In office
1937-1946
Member of the Montana House of Representatives
In office
1933-1937
Personal details
Born(1898-04-01)April 1, 1898
Weldon, Iowa
DiedMarch 3, 1961(1961-03-03) (aged 62)
Bozeman, Montana
Resting placeSunset Hills Cemetery
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Vera Harris
ChildrenEloise and Zales N. Jr.
Alma materMontana State University, University of Chicago
OccupationRancher, politician

Zales Nelson Ecton (April 1, 1898 – March 3, 1961) was an American Republican politician from Montana who represented the state in the United States Senate, serving from 1947 to 1953.

Early life[]

Ecton was born in Weldon, Decatur County, Iowa on April 1, 1898 to Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Smith Ecton.[1] He moved with his family to Gallatin County, Montana in 1907, when he was nine years old.[2] He attended the Gallatin County public schools. He then attended Montana State College (later Montana State University) at Bozeman and the University of Chicago law school.[3] In 1921, he became a rancher and gained interests in grain and livestock.[4]

Political career[]

Entering politics, Ecton was a member of the Montana State House from 1933 to 1935 and the Montana State Senate from 1936 to 1946.[1] In 1946, he ran for the Montana United States Senate seat which was being vacated by Democrat Burton K. Wheeler, who had lost the Democratic primary.

As part of the Republican takeover of the Senate in 1946, Ecton defeated Democratic state Supreme Court Justice Leif Erickson by a vote of 54% to 46%.[5] He served in the Senate for one term, having been narrowly defeated for reelection in 1952 by U.S. Representative Mike Mansfield, a Democratic college professor and Far Eastern expert.[6]

While in the Senate, Ecton served on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, the Committee on the United States Post Office and Civil Service, and the Committee on Public Lands.[2]

Personal life[]

In 1921, Ecton married Vera Harris. The couple had two children, Eloise and Zales N. Jr. [1]

Later years[]

Ecton resumed his ranching business until his death in Bozeman, Montana on March 3, 1961. He was interred in Sunset Hills Cemetery.[3] Ecton was the last Republican U.S. senator from Montana until the election in 1988 of Conrad Burns, who served from 1989 to 2007. Currently, Ecton's papers are held by Archives and Special Collections at Montana State University.

References[]

  • United States Congress. "Zales Ecton (id: E000037)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Associated Press. “Former U.S. Senator Zales Ecton, 62, Dies.” Great Falls Tribune, March 4, 1961.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Scott, Kim Allen. “Historical Note.” Zales N. Ecton Papers, 1947-1953, Montana State University, Special Collections and Archival Informatics, 2009.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b “Ecton, Zales Nelson.” Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress - Retro Member. Accessed April 19, 2021. https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=e000037.
  4. ^ “Our Campaigns - Candidate - Zales N. Ecton.” Our Campaigns. Accessed April 19, 2021. https://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=43829.
  5. ^ University, Montana State. “U.S. Sen. Zales Ecton.” missoulian.com, September 15, 2016. https://missoulian.com/u-s-sen-zales-ecton/image_b5bc9206-7b64-11e6-b8a9-f35d2b2c30fc.html.
  6. ^ Billings Gazette Archives. “U.S. Sen. Zales Ecton.” The Billings Gazette, September 10, 2015. https://billingsgazette.com/u-s-sen-zales-ecton/image_f73a3ac2-c121-50d2-abc7-638032947042.html.

Further reading[]

  • Zales N. Ecton Papers (1898-1961), Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections Library, Montana State University Collection website
Party political offices
Preceded by
E. K. Cheadle 		Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Montana
(Class 1)
1946, 1952 		Succeeded by
Lou Welch
U.S. Senate
Preceded by
Burton K. Wheeler 		U.S. senator (Class 1) from Montana
1947-1953
Served alongside: James Edward Murray 		Succeeded by
Mike Mansfield
Retrieved from ""