James A. Burke (March 3, 1890 – September 12, 1965) was a
Democratic
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
politician from
Queens,
New York City and served as its
borough president for eight years.
Burke was born in
Brooklyn, New York in 1890
but was orphaned when he was 8 years old.
After high school he took night classes at
New York University while he worked. In 1914 he moved to Queens, where he became active in many civic organizations.
During the
first World War he worked as a civilian at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard, eventually becoming superintendent of stock in charge of $60 million worth of supplies.
After the war, he had various jobs in purchasing and accounting. He had leadership positions in two Queens civic organizations. He was a member of the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Assem ...
(Queens Co., 4th D.) in
1931
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Sir I ...
,
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
,
1933
Events
January
* January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand.
* January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
and
1935
Events
January
* January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims.
* ...
. While there, he championed Queens issues, including the construction of the
Grand Central Parkway.
In 1941, he won election as
borough president of Queens, beating the Republican incumbent
George U. Harvey
George U. Harvey (August 15, 1881 – April 6, 1946) was a Republican politician from Queens, New York City and served as its borough president for twelve years.
Biography
Harvey was born in County Galway, Ireland but emigrated with his family to ...
. While in office, he focused on transportation and taxes in the borough.
He won two terms to the office, and resigned in 1949. He did not seek any further political offices.
He died in his
Little Neck, Queens, home in 1965.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, James A
1890 births
1965 deaths
Queens borough presidents
Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly
20th-century American legislators
People from Douglaston–Little Neck, Queens