Summary
Charles Henry Burke (April 1, 1861 – April 7, 1944) was a Republican Congressman from South Dakota and Commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the 1920s.
Charles H. Burke | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 35th Commissioner of Indian Affairs | |
| In office April 1, 1921 – June 30, 1929 | |
| President | Warren G. Harding Calvin Coolidge |
| Preceded by | Cato Sells |
| Succeeded by | Charles J. Rhoads |
| House Minority Whip | |
| In office March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915 | |
| Leader | James Mann |
| Preceded by | John W. Dwight |
| Succeeded by | Charles M. Hamilton |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Dakota's 2nd district | |
| In office March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915 | |
| Preceded by | Eben Martin |
| Succeeded by | Royal C. Johnson |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Dakota's at-large district | |
| In office March 4, 1909 – March 3, 1913 | |
| Preceded by | Philo Hall |
| Succeeded by | Charles H. Dillon |
| In office March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1907 | |
| Preceded by | John Edward Kelley |
| Succeeded by | Philo Hall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Charles Henry Burke April 1, 1861 Batavia, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 7, 1944 (aged 83) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
Biography edit
He was born near Batavia, New York, in 1861, and attended the public school there. He moved to the Dakota Territory in 1882 and settled on a homestead in Beadle County of what is now South Dakota, moving on to Hughes County in 1883.
He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1886. He also engaged in the real estate investment business in the area of Pierre, South Dakota. He was elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives in 1895 and 1897. He ran for the United States House of Representatives in 1898, won election, and remained in that position through 1907, losing the nomination for the 1906 election, although he won again in 1908 and remained in the House through 1915, serving as Minority whip from 1913 through 1915. In 1906 he was heavily involved in passing the Burke Act. In 1914, he received the nomination for the United States Senate seat from South Dakota and chose not to run for reelection to the House. He lost that Senate race.
He was appointed Commissioner of Indian Affairs in 1921 and served in that capacity until his resignation in 1929. He died in 1944, in Washington, D. C.
Legacy edit
The town of Burke, South Dakota, was named for the congressman.[1]
References edit
External links edit
- Works by or about Charles H. Burke at Internet Archive
- United States Congress. "Charles H. Burke (id: B001087)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.