Martin Bourke (December 1, 1867 – April 8, 1939) was an American lawyer and politician from New York.

Life

Bourke was born on December 1, 1867, in

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

, the son of Martin Bourke and Anna MacNamara. Bourke initially attended the local public school and Staples Academy in Easton. He moved with his parents to a farm in Easton when he was nine, living there for the next six years. When he was fifteen, he moved to the

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He initially worked in the drug business, becoming a licensed pharmacist before he was twenty-one. He then studied law at

New York Law School New York Law School (NYLS) is a private law school in Tribeca, New York City. NYLS has a full-time day program and a part-time evening program. NYLS's faculty includes 54 full-time and 59 adjunct professors. Notable faculty members include E ...

, graduating from there in 1893. He was admitted to the bar in 1894 and began practicing law. Bourke ran for 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 ...

as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

in New York County's 17th District in 1912 and 1913, losing both elections to

Democrat 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 ...

Mark Eisner. He was elected to the Assembly in that district in 1914 and served in the Assembly in

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

. He lost the re-election that year during a Democratic landslide to

Vincent Gilroy Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...

. He was elected back to the Assembly in 1916 and served in

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

and

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

. In the latter year, he represented the newly reappropriated 9th District. He lost the 1918 election to Democrat Philip A. Walter. He was elected back to the Assembly in 1919 and sat in the Assembly again in

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

. He ran for the Assembly in 1925, losing the election to the Democratic incumbent John H. Conroy. Bourke was president of the Riverside Republican Club of the Ninth District, the New York Archdiocesan Union of the Catholic Young Men's Societies, and the Spalding Literary Union. He also held a number of offices with the

Royal Arcanum The Supreme Council of the Royal Arcanum, commonly known simply as the Royal Arcanum, is a fraternal benefit society founded in 1877 in Boston, Massachusetts by John A. Cummings and Darius Wilson, who had previously been among the founders of the ...

. He was a member of the New York Catholic Club, the

New York County Lawyers' Association The New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA) is a bar association located in New York City. The New York County Lawyers Association was founded in 1908 because the existing bar association excluded some lawyers from membership due to their r ...

, the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

, and the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

. Bourke died at home from heart disease following a month-long illness on April 8, 1939.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Bourke, Martin 1867 births 1939 deaths Lawyers from Bridgeport, Connecticut Politicians from Bridgeport, Connecticut People from Easton, Connecticut People from the Upper West Side Politicians from Manhattan American pharmacists New York Law School alumni 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers Lawyers from New York City 20th-century American politicians Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly American Freemasons Catholic politicians from New York (state)