Thomas William Burgess (born August 21, 1933) is an

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-born former

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

politician. He represented

Labrador West Labrador West (2013 pop.: 10,319) refers to a region in western Labrador in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador containing the twin towns of Labrador City and Wabush. The area is located in the southwest corner of Labrador, near the ...

from 1966 to 1972 in the Newfoundland House of Assembly. The son of John Burgess, he was born in Bray,

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and was educated at the

Catholic University School Catholic University School ''(C.U.S.)'' is a private (voluntary) secondary school for boys in Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1867 by Bartholomew Woodlock as a preparatory school for the Catholic University of Ireland, the predece ...

and St. Mary's School in

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. He worked in construction and various other occupations in England, Wales, Africa, Australia and New Zealand before becoming a Canadian resident in 1958. He came to

Labrador City Labrador City is a town in western Labrador (part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador), near the Quebec border. With a population of 7,412 as of 2021, it is the second-largest population centre in Labrador, behind Happy Valley-Go ...

with the Iron Ore Company of Canada, joining the United Steelworkers of America in 1960. Burgess married Rhyna McLean; the couple had one daughter. In 1966, he was elected to the Newfoundland assembly as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

. In 1969, he joined the New Labrador Party. Following the 1971 election, the number of seats held by the Liberals and Conservatives were very close and Burgess held the balance of power. He declared that he would support the Conservatives. However, when

Frank Moores Frank Duff Moores (February 18, 1933 – July 10, 2005) served as the second premier of Newfoundland. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservatives from 1972 until his retirement in 1979. Moores was also a successful businessman in bo ...

failed to give him a seat in the cabinet, Burgess returned to the Liberal Party. He ran unsuccessfully for the Liberal party leadership in 1972. Burgess was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1972 and retired from politics, leaving the province afterwards. Burgess Avenue in Mount Pearl, NL is named after him.

References

1933 births 2006 deaths Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs Labrador Party politicians {{Newfoundland-politician-stub