John Luddy Burke (August 22, 1909 – September 5, 2003) was a United States Navy officer and business executive. He played semi-professional American football for several years. John Luddy Burke was born on August 22, 1909, in Waterbury, Connecticut. His eldest brother was Morgan J. Burke Jr., a New York judge and attorney. Burke attended

Manhattan College Manhattan College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts university in the Bronx, New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers) as an academy for day students, it was la ...

in New York City, during which time he was considered an "excellent football player". The lettermen of Manhattan College elected him captain of the college team in a unanimous vote in 1930. He played semi-professional football for many teams in the Waterbury area.John Luddy Burke and Ann Rock
/ref> '' The New York Times'' considered him a "splendid tackler and receiver of passes". Burke joined the United States Navy following the Attack on Pearl Harbor. He served in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater between 1943 and 1945 on the USS ''Conner''. Gaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander, he took part in the Philippines campaign (1944–1945) and the battles of

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

Hollandia Hollandia may refer to: * HVV Hollandia, Dutch football team * Hollandia Victoria Combinatie, defunct Dutch football team * ''Hollandia'' (1742 ship), a ship of the Dutch East India Company, wrecked in 1743 on her maiden voyage * Jayapura, a city ...

, Leyte, and

Lingayen Gulf The Lingayen Gulf is a large gulf on northwestern Luzon in the Philippines, stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central. The Agno River and the Balili ...

. He led several boat parties from the USS ''Conner'' with Japanese prisoners from the Pacific. In 1946, Burke ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Connecticut House of Representatives representing Waterbury. Burke then entered the Outdoor Advertising Industry. He rose to become president of Big D Outdoor Advertising and, in 1960, was elected executive vice president of Packer Outdoor Advertising and vice president of the Harry H. Packer Company and the Outdoor Investment Company.

Personal life

On January 22, 1943, Burke married Ann Gertrude Rock, with whom he had one son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, John Luddy 1909 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American naval officers American business executives American people of Irish descent Manhattan Jaspers football players Players of American football from Waterbury, Connecticut Politicians from Waterbury, Connecticut United States Navy personnel of World War II