 Burgess would only serve a fraction of one term in the Arizona Senate, however, as she was nominated by President Richard Nixon in 1969 to the National Transportation Safety Board after a recommendation from Senator Barry Goldwater and Representative John Rhodes.At the time, her leadership as the Chair of the National Legislative Transportation Committee and being a woman made her an ideal candidate for nomination.Future Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was appointed to fill her vacancy in the Senate on October 30 of the same year.