Thomas A. Burke
Thomas Burke | |
---|---|
President of the United States Conference of Mayors | |
In office 1953 | |
Preceded by | Martin H. Kennelly |
Succeeded by | Elmer Robinson |
Vice Mayor and Legal Director of Cleveland | |
In office 1941–1945 | |
Mayor | Frank Lausche |
Personal details | |
Born | LLB ) | October 30, 1898
Thomas Aloysius Burke (October 30, 1898 – December 5, 1971) was an American politician from
Early life and education
Burke was born in
Early political career
In 1930, Burke became as assistant county prosecutor. In 1937, the Ohio Attorney General, Herbert S. Duffy commissioned an investigation of an election fraud case in Lawrence County, Ohio. Burke was appointed as the special counsel to prosecute the case of six people accused of breaking into the election board and tampering with votes for the county commissioner's race.[3] In 1941, Burke became vice mayor of Cleveland. He was also simultaneously the Director of Law for Cleveland, the city's chief legal advisor.[4]
Mayoralty
With the election of Mayor
In 1947, Burke faced off against Eliot Ness, the former Treasury agent who pursued Al Capone and later became the Cleveland Director of Public Safety. Despite Ness’ fame, Burke won re-election in a second landslide with more than 66% of the vote and a majority of more than 80,000 votes.[8] Burke went on to win two more times, in 1949 and 1951.
In 1947, the
In 1953, Burke served as the president of the United States Conference of Mayors.[11]
United States Senate
On October 12, 1953, Governor Frank Lausche appointed Burke to succeed Robert A. Taft, who died of cancer on July 31, 1953, in the United States Senate. Burke took Taft's seat on November 10, after his term as mayor ended.[12] Burke ran against George H. Bender in the 1954 special election to serve out the remainder of Taft's term. Burke was defeated by only 7,070 votes and demanded a recount, which narrowed Bender's margin, but did not overturn the results.[13][14] After his defeat, Burke resumed the practice of law forming the influential Cleveland law firm of Burke, Haber and Berick (now McDonald Hopkins Burke and Haber).
Personal life
Burke was married to Josephine (Lyon) Burke and had two daughters. He died of undisclosed causes on December 5, 1971, at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland, where he'd been admitted the day before.[15] He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Cleveland.[16]
References
- ^
- United States Congress. "Thomas A. Burke (id: B001099)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- ^ "Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, Thomas A. Burke". Case Wester Reserve University. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
- ^ "River County Agog Over Trial Of Four Charged With Vote Irregularity". Cincinnati Enquirer. 1937-06-20.
- ^ "Ex-Mayor T. A. Burke of Cleveland Dies". The New York Times. 6 December 1971. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ "Cleveland City Charter" (PDF). City of Cleveland. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
- ^ "Burke, A Democrat Wins in Cleveland". New York Times. 1945-11-07.
- ^ "Thomas Burke Now Mayor of Cleveland". The Chronicle-Telegram. January 4, 1945. Retrieved 1 November 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Upsets in Cities of Ohio". New York Times. 1947-11-06.
- ^ "Burke Lakefront Airport, the Landfill Airport". Cleveland Historical. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
- ^ "Vintage Cleveland: A look back at Burke Lakefront Airport". The Plain Dealer. 2016-08-12.
- ^ "Leadership". The United States Conference of Mayors. November 23, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ "Lausche Appoints Burke, Democrat, as Taft Successor". New York Times. 1953-10-13.
- ^ "Bender is Certified as Ohio Senator". New York Times. 1954-12-08.
- ^ "Defeated Senator Asks Ohio Recount". New York Times. 1954-11-11.
- ^ "Burke, 73, Dies". The Plain Dealer. December 6, 1971. pp. A1, A6.
- ^ "Death Notices". The Plain Dealer. December 7, 1971. p. D8.
- The Encyclopedia Of Cleveland History by Cleveland Bicentennial Commission (Cleveland, Ohio), David D. Van Tassel (Editor), and John J. Grabowski (Editor) ISBN 0-253-33056-4
- Burke Lakefront Airport History: http://www.burkeairport.com/About/History.aspx