Edward Raymond Burke (November 28, 1880November 4, 1968) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Democratic Party politician. Burke moved to

Sparta, Wisconsin Sparta is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States, along the La Crosse River. The population was 10,025 at the 2020 census. History Sparta is located on former Ho-Chunk territory acquired by the United States i ...

with his parents and then

Beloit, Wisconsin Beloit is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 36,657 people. History Twelve men in Colebrook, New Hampshire, created the "New England Emigrating Company" in October 1836 and sen ...

, where he went to

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin. Founded in 1846, when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and ...

. Burke graduated in 1906, moved to

Chadron, Nebraska Chadron ( ) is a city and the county seat of Dawes County, in the state of Nebraska in the Great Plains region of the United States. The population was 5,851 at the 2010 census. This city is the location of Chadron State College. Chadron also is ...

, where he taught school until 1908. He graduated from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each c ...

and was admitted to the bar in 1911. Afterwards, he set up shop in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

he enlisted and served as a second lieutenant in the Air Service from 1917 to 1919. He served as the president of the

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest c ...

Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional ar ...

from 1927 to 1930. He was elected to the Seventy-third Congress from Nebraska in 1933 and then ran successfully for

U.S. Senator 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 power ...

in 1934. Serving from January 3, 1935, to January 3, 1941, he chaired the U.S. Senate Committee on Claims. In the Senate, he supported President Roosevelt's

First New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Co ...

, but opposed the

Second New Deal The Second New Deal is a term used by historians to characterize the second stage, 1935–36, of the New Deal programs of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The most famous laws included the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act, the Banking Act, the ...

and broke with the President on adding new justices to the U.S. Supreme Court and some of his foreign policy. He also believed that no President should serve more than two terms. As a result, he failed to be renominated for the seat in 1940, losing the Democratic primary to

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Robert L. Cochran. In the general election, he endorsed Republican nominee

Wendell Willkie Wendell Lewis Willkie (born Lewis Wendell Willkie; February 18, 1892 – October 8, 1944) was an American lawyer, corporate executive and the 1940 Republican nominee for President. Willkie appealed to many convention delegates as the Republican ...

He also endorsed

Hugh A. Butler Hugh Alfred Butler (February 28, 1878July 1, 1954) was an American United States Republican Party, Republican politician from Nebraska Life and career Hugh Butler was born on a farm near Missouri Valley, Iowa on February 28, 1878. He graduated ...

, the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate, who defeated Cochran in the general election.

He resumed his law practice in Omaha in 1941 and moved to Washington, D.C. in 1942 to serve as president of the Southern Coal Producers Association until 1947. He was a Washington representative and general counsel for

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

an Statehood Commission until 1950, when he retired to

Kensington, Maryland Kensington is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,213 at the 2010 United States Census. Greater Kensington encompasses the entire 20895 ZIP code, with a population of 19,054. History The area around th ...

. He died in 1968, and was interred in Fort Lincoln Mausoleum.

References

# # * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Edward R. 1880 births 1968 deaths American Congregationalists Harvard Law School alumni Nebraska lawyers Politicians from Omaha, Nebraska Beloit College alumni Democratic Party United States senators from Nebraska Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers Old Right (United States)