Edward A. Burke
| Edward A. Burke | |
|---|---|
| Louisiana state treasurer | |
|
In office 1878–1888 |
|
| Preceded by | Antoine Dubuclet |
| Succeeded by | William Henry Pipes |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 13, 1839 Louisville, Kentucky, USA |
| Died | September 24, 1928 (aged 89) Tegucigalpa, Honduras |
| Nationality | Irish-American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Elizabeth Gaines (died 1916) |
| Children | Lindsey Burke |
| Profession | Railroad manager |
Edward Austin Burke or Burk (September 13, 1839 – September 24, 1928), was the Democratic state treasurer of Louisiana following Reconstruction. Burke later fled to Honduras after it was discovered that there were misappropriations of state treasury funds. While in Honduras Burke became a major land owner and held government positions within Honduras' nationalized railway systems. He remained an exile until his death nearly four decades later.
Burke, by his own account, was of Irish descent and born in Louisville, Kentucky. Burke's initial career started with the railroads. At the age of thirteen he was employed as a railroad telegraph operator in Urbana, Illinois. By the age of seventeen, he had been promoted to a division superintendent. The outbreak of the Civil War found Burke working for a railroad in Texas. On October 7, 1861 he was commissioned as a Confederate officer into Debray's Mounted Battalion. His knowledge of transportation logistics gained through his years of railroad experience resulted in his temporary transfer to Texas' Office of Field Transportation in March 1863. By December of that year the transfer was permanent. By war's end Burke had reached the rank of major with a duty assignment as Quartermaster and Chief Inspector of Field Transportation, District of Texas. After the war Burke's business career wavered. In Galveston he initially found work as telegraph operator and then as a manager of a cotton factorage. He later teamed up with another former Confederate officer, H. B. Stoddart, and formed the import export firm, Stoddart & Burk. The firm primarily exported cotton and imported liquor. In January 1869, the firm faced tax evasion charges from failure to pay federal taxes due on the imported alcohol. The charges against Burke were eventually dismissed, but the litigation left the firm and Burke in bankruptcy. Burke tried to revitalize his fortunes by being elected the Chief Engineer of Galveston's volunteer fire department.
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