Joseph R. Burton

Joseph Burton
United States Senator from Kansas
In office March 4, 1901 – June 4, 1906
Preceded by	Lucien Baker
Succeeded by	Alfred W. Benson
Member of the Kansas House of Representatives
In office 1882–1892
Personal details
Born	Joseph Ralph Burton (1852-11-16)November 16, 1852 Mitchell, Indiana, U.S.
Died	February 27, 1923(1923-02-27) (aged 70) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	United States Naval Academy Franklin College, Indiana DePauw University

Joseph Ralph Burton (November 16, 1852 – February 27, 1923) was a lawyer and United States Senator from the state of Kansas. He was the first Senator to be convicted of a crime. He served in the Kansas House of Representatives several times in the 1880s and was elected to the United States Senate in 1901, but he was convicted of accepting bribes in 1905. He appealed twice to the Supreme Court, but the judgment was eventually upheld and he resigned. He lived out his life as a lawyer and newspaperman.