William J. Burke

William J. Burke

William Joseph Burke (born September 25, 1862 in London , England , †  November 7, 1925 in Callery Junction , Pennsylvania ) was an American politician . Between 1919 and 1923 he represented the state of Pennsylvania in the US House of Representatives .

Career

In 1866, William Burke and his parents came to Reynoldsville , Pennsylvania from their English homeland . He attended the public schools in his new home and worked in the local coal mines when he was twelve. From 1878 he worked in Pittsburgh for the railroad. He later embarked on a political career as a Republican . For four years he was a member of the municipal council of the then independent town of Allegheny . Today this commune is part of Pittsburgh. From 1906 to 1910 he was a member of the Pittsburgh City Council. From 1904 he was also active in the oil business. William Burke was also involved in the railway workers' union and held leading positions there at times. Between 1914 and 1918 he sat in the Senate of Pennsylvania and in 1918 and 1919 again on the Pittsburgh City Council.

In the 1918 congressional election , Burke was elected to the United States House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the 33rd  constituency of Pennsylvania , where he succeeded John Roger Kirkpatrick Scott on March 4, 1919 . After re-election, he was able to complete two legislative terms in Congress until March 3, 1923 . The 18th and 19th amendments to the Constitution were ratified in 1919 and 1920 . It was about the ban on trade in alcoholic beverages and the nationwide introduction of women's suffrage .

In 1922, Burke declined to run for the US House of Representatives. Instead, he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the US Senate . After his time in the US House of Representatives, Burke worked again for the trade union movement. He became chairman of the General Committee of the Brotherhood of Railroad Conductors . He was also back in the oil business and in agriculture. William Burke died on November 7, 1925 on his Butler County estate and was buried in Pittsburgh.

Web links

Commons : William J. Burke  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• William J. Burke in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• William J. Burke in the database of Find a Grave (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
John Roger Kirkpatrick Scott	United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (33rd constituency) with Thomas S. Crago , Anderson Howell Walters, and Mahlon Morris Garland March 4, 1919 - March 3, 1923	Melville Clyde Kelly