John Burke Jr. (1859-1937) - Find a Grave Memorial

Governor of North Dakota and Treasurer of the United States. Born to Irish immigrant parents, he graduated from Iowa State University with a law degree in 1886. He practiced law in Devils Lake, North Dakota, and was elected to both the North Dakota House of Representatives and State Senate. Nominated for Governor in 1906, his highly energetic campaigning and stirring oratory brought about his election as a Democrat. Reelected twice, he enacted a full gamut of Progressive legislation, including pure food, seed and sanitation laws, public utilities control laws, child labor laws, and a corrupt practices act. He was appointed Treasurer of the United States by President Woodrow Wilson, serving from 1913 to 1921. He served as Chief Justice of North Dakota twice, from 1929 to 1931, and again from 1935 to 1937. In 1963, a statue of Burke was chosen to represent North Dakota in Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol.

Bio by: Garver Graver