Miller in Hand County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Harlan J. Bushfield & Vera S. Cahalan Bushfield

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 14, 2018

1. Harlan J. Bushfield & Vera S. Cahalan Bushfield Marker

Inscription. 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.

Erected 2015

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by State of South Dakota. (Marker Number 704.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels • Women. In addition, it is included in the South Dakota State Historical Society Markers series list. A significant historical date for this entry is August 6, 1882.

Location. 44° 31.244′ N, 98° 59.299′ W. Marker is in Miller, South Dakota, in Hand County. It is on East 5th Street east of North Broadway (U.S. 14), on the right when traveling west. Marker is located beside the sidewalk, on the north side of 5th Street, just east of Broadway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Miller SD 57362, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East River.

It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor,

on the prairies,

and on the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 3 other markers are within

Harlan J. Bushfield & Vera S. Cahalan Bushfield Marker (<i>tall view</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 14, 2018

2. Harlan J. Bushfield & Vera S. Cahalan Bushfield Marker (tall view)

8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Hand County Veterans Memorial (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); St. Lawrence Centennial (approx. 2½ miles away); Greenleaf United Methodist Church (approx. 8 miles away).

Also see . . .
1. Governor Harlan John Bushfield. Governor Bushfield was one of South Dakota’s most fiscally conservative leaders. He was an ardent admirer of Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson, and especially admired Jefferson’s commitment to fiscal responsibility. Bushfield consolidated state departments, cut 300 state jobs, and cut spending by 26 percent. He cut the state sales tax, eliminated the state property tax, and advocated for the repeal of the state income tax. Bushfield also accelerated the liquidation of the Rural Credit program, a failed state-funded farm loan program that had been created in the 1910s and cost the state millions of dollars over forty years. (Submitted on September 27, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Vera Sarah Cahalan Bushfield. During her husband’s political career, Vera Bushfield became a noted speaker throughout

Harlan J. Bushfield & Vera S. Cahalan Bushfield Marker (<i>wide view looking north</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 14, 2018

3. Harlan J. Bushfield & Vera S. Cahalan Bushfield Marker (wide view looking north)

South Dakota, specialized in women’s and children’s issues, and was her husband’s most trusted adviser. In early 1948, Harlan Bushfield announced that due to ill health, he would not seek re–election. On September 27, 1948, with Congress out of session, he passed away. The Republican Governor of South Dakota, George T. Mickleson, appointed Vera Bushfield to fill her husband’s unexpired term on October 6 to “permit the late Harlan J. Bushfield’s office to function normally and without interruption.” (Submitted on September 27, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Harlan John Bushfield Memorial Statue (<i>near State Capitol in Pierre, South Dakota</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 19, 2016

4. Harlan John Bushfield Memorial Statue (near State Capitol in Pierre, South Dakota)

Harlan John Bushfield Memorial detail (<i>near State Capitol in Pierre, South Dakota</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 19, 2016

5. Harlan John Bushfield Memorial detail (near State Capitol in Pierre, South Dakota)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 26, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 27, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 674 times since then and 25 times this year. Last updated on November 8, 2021. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 27, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 4, 5. submitted on October 9, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.