Vera Cahalan Bushfield was a U.S. Senator from South Dakota

South Dakota

South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

. Born in Miller, South Dakota

Miller, South Dakota

Miller is a city in Hand County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,489 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Hand County.-Geography:...

, she attended the public schools, graduated from the Stout Institute in Menomonie, Wisconsin

Menomonie, Wisconsin

Two other spellings of the name appear elsewhere, see Menomonee and Menominee. For the town, see Menomonie .Menomonie is a city in and the county seat of Dunn County in the western part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The city's population was 16,264 as of the 2010 census...

 and also attended Dakota Wesleyan University

Dakota Wesleyan University

Dakota Wesleyan University is a four-year university located in Mitchell, South Dakota, founded in 1885, that is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The student body averages slightly less than 800 students...

 and the University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

.

She was appointed on October 6, 1948, as a Republican to the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of her husband, Harlan J. Bushfield

Harlan J. Bushfield

Harlan John Bushfield was a politician from South Dakota. He was born in Atlantic, Iowa in 1882. He moved with his family to South Dakota in 1883, and attended the public schools in Miller, South Dakota. He graduated from Dakota Wesleyan University in 1901, and from the University of Minnesota Law...

, and served from that date until her resignation on December 26, 1948. She died in Fort Collins, Colorado

Fort Collins, Colorado

Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...

.

Among her other accomplishments was her sponsorship of the launch of the USS South Dakota

USS South Dakota

Three ships of the United States Navy have been namedUSS South Dakota in honor of the 40th state.*The first , Pennsylvania-class armored cruiser, escorted troops and convoys during World War I....

 (BB-57) on June 7, 1941 in Camden, New Jersey

Camden, New Jersey

The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...

.