John Burke (February 25, 1859 – May 14, 1937) was an American lawyer, jurist, and political leader from

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 ...

who served as the

10th 10 (ten) is the even natural number following 9 and preceding 11. Ten is the base of the decimal numeral system, by far the most common system of denoting numbers in both spoken and written language. It is the first double-digit number. The rea ...

governor of North Dakota The governor of North Dakota is the head of government of North Dakota and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The Constitution of North Dakota specifies that "the executive power is vested in the governor" in Secti ...

from 1907 to 1913, and later served as the 24th

treasurer of the United States The treasurer of the United States is an officer in the United States Department of the Treasury who serves as custodian and trustee of the federal government's collateral assets and the supervisor of the department's currency and coinage produc ...

under President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

. Following his term as treasurer, he subsequently served intermittently as Chief Justice 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 ...

first from 1929-1931, then from 1935 until his death in 1937.

Early life

Burke was born in

Sigourney, Iowa Sigourney ( ) is a city in Keokuk County, Iowa, Keokuk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,004 at the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Keokuk County, Iowa, Keokuk County. Keokuk County Court ...

of Irish ancestry to John and Mary (née Ryan) Burke. He graduated from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

in 1886 with a law degree. He married Mary E. Kane, a teacher, on August 22, 1891, and they later had three children. After establishing two separate practices of middling success in the late 1880s, Burke moved to the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

poor in 1888 where he acquired work wherever he could before settling down in St. John in Rolette County.

Career

Following his move to St. John, Burke began a legal practice and subsequently became a Rolette

County judge The term county judge is applied as a descriptor, sometimes as a title, for a person who presides over a county court. In most cases, such as in Northern Ireland and the Victorian County Courts, a county judge is a judicial officer with civil ...

in 1889. Two years after the admission of North Dakota to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, Burke was elected to the

North Dakota House of Representatives The North Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly and is larger than the North Dakota Senate. North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts apportioned by population as d ...

in 1891 and later served in the

North Dakota Senate The North Dakota Senate is the upper house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, smaller than the North Dakota House of Representatives. Per the state constitution, North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts appor ...

from 1893 to 1896. In 1896, Burke unsuccessfully sought election to the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, losing by 4,000 votes. Following this, Burke returned to Rolette County, serving as a county judge for another term from 1897-1899. After reluctantly accepting the nomination to run for

by unanimous vote, Burke secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination and ousted incumbent Elmore Sarles in what was called the ' Revolution of 1906', being the first step in the dismantling of Republican National committeeman Alexander McKenzie's political machine. Burke's campaign attracted wide

bipartisan Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing political parties find co ...

support, mostly those Republicans and other majority groups who had distaste for the incumbent Sarles administration, and the McKenzie political machine which had dominated the state for the previous 20 years. Following his taking of office, Burke, a new-era progressive, instituted and pursued policies against the railroad monopolists which had dominated state politics previously, and a number of reforms against corruption, which Burke personally despised and had crusaded against in all offices. His personality, political beliefs, and actions had garnered him the nickname 'Honest John', a name which Burke himself disliked, not wanting to be compared to

President Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

, who was nicknamed 'Honest Abe' At the

1912 Democratic National Convention The 1912 Democratic National Convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory off North Howard Street in Baltimore from June 25 to July 2, 1912. The Convention The convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore from June 25 t ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Burke enthusiastically supported the candidacy of

. Burke swung all of North Dakota's votes to Wilson on the first ballot.

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running ...

, himself a supporter of Wilson and also a good friend of Burke's, wanted Burke to run for vice president. Burke demurred, however, due to a promise he had given Indiana delegates for their votes. As a result,

Thomas R. Marshall Thomas Riley Marshall (March 14, 1854 – June 1, 1925) was an American politician who served as the 28th vice president of the United States from 1913 to 1921 under President Woodrow Wilson. A prominent lawyer in Indiana, he became an acti ...

of Indiana was chosen instead for the vice presidency. Burke was named United States Treasurer following Wilson’s election victory in November 1912. From 1913 to 1921, Burke was

Treasurer of the United States The treasurer of the United States is an officer in the United States Department of the Treasury who serves as custodian and trustee of the federal government's collateral assets and the supervisor of the department's currency and coinage produc ...

under President Woodrow Wilson. During his term as treasurer, Burke ran unsuccessfully for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in 1916. He later served as a justice of the

, a position he had always desired, from 1924-1937. During this time he served as chief justice twice, from 1929-1931, and 1935 until his death on May 14, 1937.

Death and legacy

Following Burke's death, many politicians and officials mourned and remembered Burke for his character and ideals. By many, Burke is considered to be one of the greatest North Dakota politicians. During his lifetime, many called Burke a hero, as well as 'the first citizen of North Dakota'. His remains are interred in Saint Mary's Cemetery,

Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck () is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the state's second-most populous city, after Fargo. The city's population was 73,622 in the 2020 census, while its metropolitan popula ...

Burke County, North Dakota Burke County is a county on the north edge of the U.S. state of North Dakota, adjacent to the south line of Canada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,201. The county seat is Bowbells. The county is named after John Burke, the tenth ...

is named in honor of John Burke. The

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

ship SS ''John Burke'' is also named after Burke. In 1963, the State of North Dakota donated a statue of Burke to the United States Capitol's

National Statuary Hall Collection The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is composed of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. Limited to two statues per state, the collection was originally set up in the old ...

. A similar statue also stands on the grounds of the

North Dakota State Capitol The North Dakota State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of North Dakota. The capitol, a 21-story Art Deco tower, is located in Bismarck at 600 East Boulevard Avenue, and is the tallest habitable building in the state. On ...

in Bismarck. John Burke statue at Capitol grounds

References

External links

John Burke Papers at The University of North DakotaNational Statuary Hall Collection
includes biography and photo of statue. *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, John 1859 births 1937 deaths Treasurers of the United States Democratic Party governors of North Dakota Democratic Party North Dakota state senators Chief Justices of the North Dakota Supreme Court People from Keokuk County, Iowa University of Iowa alumni Burke County, North Dakota People from Rolette County, North Dakota Catholics from Iowa Catholics from North Dakota 20th-century American judges 19th-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the North Dakota House of Representatives