John Burton, ‘Liberal Lion’ and Architect of Famed SF Political Machine, Has Died at 92

The article was originally published on https://sfist.com/2025/09/08/john-burton-liberal-lion-and-architect-of-famed-political-machine-has-died-at-92/A titanic figure in the California Democratic party in the 1970s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s, and co-architect of the “Willie Brown-John Burton political machine,” former statehouse leader and US Congressman John Burton has died while in hospice care. If you weren’t observing California politics in the 1970s, 80s, 90s, it’s hard to overstate the power and influence of John Burton, who held SF’s seat in Congress — now long-held by Nancy Pelosi — in the early 70s, and went on to both the California state Senate and state Assembly, eventually beoming chair of the California Democratic Party. Burton is credited with convincing Pelosi to run for his form