Appointed by Frank Lausche Name Thomas Burke Political party Democratic | Succeeded by George H. Bender Preceded by Robert A. Taft | |
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Born October 30, 1898
Cleveland, Ohio ( 1898-10-30 ) Died December 5, 1971(1971-12-05) (aged 73)
Cleveland, Ohio | ||
Thomas Aloysius Burke (October 30, 1898 – December 5, 1971) was a Democratic Party politician from Ohio. He served as the 48th mayor of Cleveland, Ohio and in the United States Senate from November 10, 1953 until December 2, 1954. Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport is named after him.
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Career
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Burke served in the U.S. Army before attending the College of the Holy Cross and Western Reserve University School of Law, now Case Western Reserve University. After serving in various capacities in the law offices of the city of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and the state of Ohio, Burke was elected Mayor of Cleveland in 1945. In 1947 he worked to create an airport on the lake and Burke Lakefront Airport was dedicated in his name. He was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Governor Frank Lausche upon the death of Robert A. Taft. Burke lost a special election for the remainder of the term in late 1954 to George H. Bender by a very narrow margin. Bender in turn lost to Lausche in 1956.
Burke resumed the practice of law forming the influential Cleveland law firm of Burke, Haber and Berick (now McDonald Hopkins Burke and Haber).
Death
Burke died of undislosed causes on December 5, 1971, at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland, where he'd been admitted the day before. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Cleveland.