Editing Julius C. Burrows (section)

== Political life ==
In 1872, Burrows was elected as a [[U.S. Republican Party|Republican]] from [[Michigan's 4th congressional district]] to the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] for the [[43rd United States Congress|43rd Congress]], serving from March 4, 1873, to March 3, 1875. He was chairman of the [[United States House Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Navy|Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Navy]].

Burrows was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874, but was subsequently elected to the [[46th United States Congress|46th]] and [[47th United States Congress|47th Congresses]], serving from March 4, 1879, to March 3, 1883. He was chairman of the [[United States House Committee on Territories|Committee on Territories]] in the 47th Congress.

Burrows is sometimes cited as a contributing factor in why [[New Mexico]] was delayed in achieving statehood. In an 1876 debate, Burrows, an admired orator, spoke forcefully in favor of a bill intended to protect the civil rights of freed black slaves. [[Stephen B. Elkins]], the [[New Mexico Territory]] Delegate to Congress, arrived late, just as Burrows was finishing. Unaware of the full import of Burrows' speech, Elkins shook his colleague's hand in congratulations, a gesture that many southern congressmen interpreted as support for the civil rights legislation. As a result, Elkin's handshake with Burrows is blamed for costing New Mexico several Southern Democratic votes which had been needed to achieve statehood.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shearer |first1=Benjamin F. |title=The Uniting States: Louisiana to Ohio |year=2004 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-313-33106-0 |page=857 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xu4uoI4DimMC&pg=PA857 |language=en}}</ref> While Colorado achieved statehood in 1876, New Mexico remained a territory for another 36 years.

Burrows was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1882. He won re-election in 1884 to the [[49th United States Congress|49th Congress]], and subsequently to the five succeeding Congresses. He represented Michigan's 4th district from March 4, 1885, until March 3, 1893, and [[Michigan's 3rd congressional district|the 3rd district]] from March 4, 1893, until his resignation on January 23, 1895, having been elected [[U.S. Senator]]. He was chairman of the [[United States House Committee on Levees and Improvements of Mississippi River|Committee on Levees and Improvements of Mississippi River]] in the [[51st United States Congress|51st Congress]].

Burrows was elected as a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] to the [[United States Senate]] to fill the vacancy caused by the death of [[Francis B. Stockbridge]] and was reelected in 1899 and 1905, serving from January 24, 1895, to March 3, 1911.<ref name="cd">{{cite web |title=S. Doc. 58-1 - Fifty-eighth Congress. (Extraordinary session -- beginning November 9, 1903.) Official Congressional Directory for the use of the United States Congress. Compiled under the direction of the Joint Committee on Printing by A.J. Halford. Special edition. Corrections made to November 5, 1903 |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/SERIALSET-04562_00_00-001-0001-0000 |website=GovInfo.gov |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |access-date=July 2, 2023 |page=51 |date=November 9, 1903}}</ref>

He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1910. He was chairman of the [[United States Senate Committee on Revision of the Laws of the United States|Committee on Revision of the Laws of the United States]] in the [[54th United States Congress|54th]] through [[56th United States Congress|56th Congresses]] and of the [[United States Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections|Committee on Privileges and Elections]] in the [[57th United States Congress|57th]] through [[61st United States Congress|61st Congresses]]. He also served on the [[Lodge Committee]] which investigated [[war crimes]] in the [[Philippine–American War]]. He was on the imperialist faction<ref name="imperialist">''Imperialist'' is a term to differentiate those who supported the Philippine–American War as opposed to ''Anti-Imperialists'' who were against the war. The origin of the two terms comes from the formation of the now defunct [[American Anti-Imperialist League|Anti-Imperialist League]], a group opposed to the annexation and/or invasion of several countries by America between 1898 and 1921. Today it is a common term of historians to use the term ''Imperialist'' and ''Anti-Imperialists'' to differentiate the differences between the two groups. See ''Benevolent Assimilation: The American Conquest of the Philippines from 1899 to 1903'', [[Stuart Creighton Miller]], (Yale University Press, 1982) for an excellent example of this phenomenon throughout the entire book.</ref> led by [[Henry Cabot Lodge]] in support of the Philippine–American War. He was also a member of the [[National Monetary Commission]] and its vice chairman 1908-1912.

After this, Burrows retired from active business pursuits and political life. He died in Kalamazoo and is interred in Mountain Home Cemetery there.