Burr, Richard (1955-…), served as a member of the United States Senate from 2005 to 2023. Burr, a Republican, represented North Carolina. Before joining the Senate, Burr served in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Richard Mauze Burr was born on Nov. 30, 1955, in Charlottesville, Virginia. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Wake Forest University in 1978. From 1978 to 1994, Burr worked for a wholesale firm that sold lawn and garden equipment. He became a national sales manager for the company.
In 1992, Burr ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives but was not elected. He ran again in 1994 and won. He was reelected to the House four times.
As a member of the House, Burr created a bill to reform the approval process for new medical drugs and devices. The bill became the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997. Burr also sponsored legislation to offer affordable prescription drugs to senior citizens. As a member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, he was involved in crafting legislation to help improve the country’s response to terrorism.
In 2004, Burr did not seek reelection to the House. Instead, he campaigned for, and was elected to, a seat in the U.S. Senate. Burr became a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. He also served on the Finance and Aging committees and the Select Committee on Intelligence. He was reelected to the Senate in 2010 and 2016. During his 2016 campaign, Burr announced that he would not seek reelection in 2022. He retired from the Senate in January 2023.
