40 Facts About Conrad Burns

Conrad Ray Burns was an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States Senator from Montana from 1989 to 2007.

Conrad Burns was only the second Republican popularly elected to represent Montana in the Senate and was the longest-serving Republican senator in Montana history.

Conrad Burns was chairman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee's Communications subcommittee.

Conrad Burns was born on a farm near Gallatin, Missouri, to Russell and Mary Frances Conrad Burns.

Conrad Burns graduated from Gallatin High School in 1952 and then enrolled in the College of Agriculture at the University of Missouri.

Conrad Burns was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity.

Two years later Conrad Burns left without graduating and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1955.

Conrad Burns served in Japan and Korea as a small-arms instructor.

Conrad Burns became the first manager of the Northern International Livestock Exposition.

Conrad Burns began reporting on agricultural market news, started a radio show and later working as a farm reporter for KULR-TV.

In 1975, Conrad Burns founded the Northern Agricultural Network with four radio stations.

Conrad Burns was reelected by 86,697 votes over Mudd, whose campaign observers described as "underfunded and puzzling".

In mid-2006, Conrad Burns told the Associated Press, which was doing an article on Congressional caucuses, that he had joined the Sweetener Caucus at the behest of sugar beet growers in his state.

On June 6,2006, Conrad Burns easily won the Republican primary.

On November 9,2006, Conrad Burns conceded the election to Tester.

Conrad Burns was well known for his ability to obtain appropriations for his home state.

Conrad Burns founded Rural Solutions Corporation, a communications company that expands broadband communications in rural areas, and maintained his auction business.

In February 2008, Conrad Burns registered as a lobbyist for the American Quarter Horse Association.

On December 9,2009, Conrad Burns was hospitalized after suffering from a stroke, likely as a result of atrial fibrillation, at his Arlington, Virginia home.

Conrad Burns was taken to Virginia Hospital Center before being transferred to the intensive-care unit of a Washington, DC hospital.

Conrad Burns stayed at National Rehabilitation Hospital and then returned home to Montana.

In 2012, Conrad Burns endorsed Congressman Denny Rehberg in his Senate bid against Jon Tester.

Conrad Burns died in Billings, Montana on April 28,2016, at the age of 81.

Conrad Burns had accepted about $150,000 in contributions from Jack Abramoff and his clients and associates.

Conrad Burns later gave that money away after Democrats criticized his connections to the lobbyist.

Between 2001 and 2004, while chair of the Interior Subcommittee on Appropriations, Conrad Burns received nearly $150,000 in campaign contributions from lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Abramoff's clients and other donors connected to Abramoff.

At the time, Conrad Burns said that tribal sovereign immunity interfered with citizens' Fifth Amendment rights.

In 2001 and 2002, Conrad Burns's policies changed, and his DC staff told citizens of western Montana that he would not support any legislation concerning tribal government unless all 500+ tribes agree to it.

Conrad Burns has been a positive and aggressive advocate for Indian Country.

Conrad Burns refused to testify, citing his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

Conrad Burns returned the entirety of Abramoff's personal donations to charity.

When possible, Conrad Burns returned contributions to the tribes where they originated.

In May 2006, a University of Montana spinoff that had federal funding of more than $4 million, through efforts by Conrad Burns, became part of an investigation by the NASA Office of Inspector General.

Conrad Burns served on Compressus's board of advisers for a year.

In July 2006, Conrad Burns serendipitously met up with a group of firefighters waiting for their flight home at the Billings airport.

Conrad Burns had earlier been speaking with some local ranchers who were unhappy about the way the firefighters had done their job.

Conrad Burns went on to repeat his "taxicab driver" analogy several times over the next few days.

In February 2006, it was reported that an unidentified member of Conrad Burns's staff had sought to remove from his Wikipedia biography pejorative comments Conrad Burns had made and replace them "glowing" praise as "the voice of the farmer".

Conrad Burns died on April 28,2016, of complications from a stroke.

Conrad Burns was interred in Arlington National Cemetery on July 17,2017.