John Burke

BURKE, RYAN

Posted By: Tom Fitzsimmons (email)
Date: 12/16/2005 at 08:43:32

I used to live in Bismarck, North Dakota, and on the Capitol grounds there is a statue of John Burke, former Governor and former U.S. Treasurer. He was born in Keokuk County, according to a biography on "Wikipedia.org" which I am pasting below. Further down is a biography of who may be his parents and their children.

First the Wikipedia biography:
"John Burke (February 25, 1859–May 14, 1937) was an American lawyer, jurist, and political leader from North Dakota.
Burke was born in Keokuk County, Iowa and moved to the Dakota Territory. After North Dakota was admitted to the union, he served in the state's House of Representatives in 1891 and in its Senate from 1893 to 1896. He served three terms (1907-1913) as a Democratic governor in largely Republican North Dakota. He ran for the United States Senate in 1916 but lost. From 1913 to 1921 Burke was Treasurer of the United States, under President Woodrow Wilson. He later served as a justice of the State Supreme Court in North Dakota from 1924 until his death on May 14, 1937. Burke County, North Dakota is named in his honor.
A statue of John Burke was placed in the National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol by the state of North Dakota in 1963."

Next, the biography of who may be John's parents from this site:(Biography Center):

Residents of German (present day Plank) Township Biographies

"Burke, John farmer, Sec. 30; P. O. Sigourney; born in Ireland in 1823, and was raised there on a farm; he emigrated to the United States in 1848, and settled in new York city; in April 1854, he removed to Linn county Iowa, where he remained four years, and came to this county in 1858; he owns a farm of 230 acres; Mr. Burke has traveled extensively, both east and west, with a view of changing his place of residence; he visited Kansas and Montana, California, and east as far as Virginia, and has concluded to spend the balance of his days in his home in Keokuk county; he has held various township offices; he married Miss Mary Ryan in August 1853; she was born in Ireland, and died in November 25, 1866; he married Miss Julia Mannion who was born in Africa, and brought to this country when young, and raised here; he has three children: Richard who is a graduate of the State Agricultural College at Ames, and at the present time Principal of the schools at Delta; Thomas, a student at the State Agricultural College, and John [perhaps the John Burke of North Dakota fame]; he has two children living by his second marriage: Ann and Edward; he has lost five children within four weeks of diphtheria: Francis, Martin, William, Mary and Agnes."