Eugene Allan Burdick (October 15, 1912 – November 3, 2000) was a judge in

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

's Fifth Judicial District and a surrogate judge of the

North Dakota Supreme Court The North Dakota Supreme Court is the highest court of law in the state of North Dakota. The Court rules on questions of law in appeals from the state's district courts. Each of the five justices are elected on a no-party ballot for ten year te ...

. He was on the bench from 1953 until he retired in 1978. Gene at 30

Life

Burdick was born to

Usher L. Burdick Usher Lloyd Burdick (February 21, 1879 – August 19, 1960) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from North Dakota. He was the father of Quentin Burdick. Early life and career Burdick was born in Owatonna, Minnesota, the so ...

and Emma C. Robertson Burdick. He graduated from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

and the

University of Minnesota School of Law The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Patent Law (M ...

. Eugene Allan Burdick was born in a log cabin just east of Williston, North Dakota to North Dakota lawyer, rancher, author and politician

and Emma C. Robertson Burdick. Burdick's birthplace served as the Little Muddy Post Office in Dakota Territory in the 1880s. Burdick had an older brother, Quentin Northrup Burdick, who served 32 years in the U.S. Senate, and a younger sister, Eileen Burdick Levering. The three followed in their father's footsteps, each graduating from law school. Burdick grew up in Williston, graduating from Williston High School in 1929 at the age of 16, and entering the

Law School that fall. The summers of 1930 and 1931, he travelled with his father trading buckskins and beads with Sioux Indians in exchange for articles of finished beadwork. The extensive Burdick Collection and photos he took are now housed at th
North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum

Career

Burdick was admitted to the Bar of North Dakota in 1935, and practiced law at Williston from 1935–1953, the last six of those years serving as Williams County State's Attorney. On June 1, 1953, he was appointed Fifth Judicial District Judge by Gov. C. Norman Brunsdale for the unexpired term of Judge McGee. Burdick was elected to the bench in 1954, and reelected in 1960, 1966 and 1972. After retiring in 1978, he continued serving as a Surrogate Judge of the North Dakota Supreme Court until his death. Burdick served 41 years as commissioner on the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, and as its president from 1971–73. He was chairman of the NCCUSL Style Committee for 24 years. He was a member of the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

, American Judicature Society,

American Law Institute The American Law Institute (ALI) is a research and advocacy group of judges, lawyers, and legal scholars established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of United States common law and its adaptation to changing social needs. ...

, Institute of Judicial Administration, National Conference of State Trial Judges, National Council of Juvenile Court Judges, State Bar Association of North Dakota (President 1951-52),

Order of the Coif The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of advocates, the serjeants-at-law, whose courtroom attire included a coif—a white lawn or silk skullcap, whi ...

, Phi Alpha Delta and

Sigma Nu Sigma Nu () is an undergraduate Fraternities and sororities in North America, college fraternity founded at the Virginia Military Institute on January 1, 1869. The fraternity was founded by James Frank Hopkins, Greenfield Quarles and James McIlva ...

fraternity

Personal life, family

On Feb. 14, 1939, Valentine's Day, Burdick married Emma May Picard. Three children were born to the marriage, a daughter, Cynthia, who died in infancy; a son, William Eugene Burdick; and a daughter, Elizabeth Burdick Cantarine. The Burdick marriage lasted 61 years until his death on Nov. 3, 2000, in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

, where they lived in retirement. Mrs. Burdick died in 2003.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burdick, Eugene A. 1912 births 2000 deaths Burdick family North Dakota state court judges People from Sarasota, Florida People from Williston, North Dakota University of Minnesota Law School alumni 20th-century American judges