Isabel Burgess

Isabel Andrews Burgess (née Andrews; April 3, 1912 – September 17, 1999) was an American politician and public official from Phoenix, Arizona who is known for her contributions to transportation safety at the federal level, including her tenure on the National Transportation Safety Board.

Burgess was born in Cleveland, Ohio on April 3, 1912 to William Andrews and Alice Ball Andrews. Burgess spent one year of post-secondary matriculation at Mills College and another at Case Western Reserve University, where she majored in art history. During this time she was very active in the League of Women Votes, where she was elected President of her chapter. Burgess' passion for the arts and civil service led her to take up several prominent roles in the Phoenix community after her relocation to Phoenix, Arizona in the late 1940s. There, she again became active in the LWV, eventually becoming the Phoenix Chapter Secretary. Burgess was elected to the Heard Museum's Secretary to the Board of Directors, a position that eventually led to her founding of the Phoenix Art Council, which in turn granted her membership in the Phoenix Art Museum.

In 1939, Burgess married Richard Burgess, who at the time was a certified public accountant and held a managing partnership at the Alexander Grant Company. The couple had three children, Richard B. Burgess, Thomas H. Burgess and Susan Burgess Cordsen, before their divorce in 1967. Richard Burgess died in 1977.

As Burgess' local recognition came to a head with her foundation of the Phoenix Art Council, prominent Phoenix republicans began to encourage her to become involved in the Arizona Republican Party, which led to her foundation of a Republican Party Group in her district. Burgess was encouraged to run for the Arizona Legislature in 1952.

Burgess served five consecutive terms from 1953 to 1967 in the Arizona House of Representatives representing Maricopa District 8E. During her tenure in the House, she served as Chair of the Highways and Transportation Committee and as Chair of the Joint Senate and House Interim Transportation Committee. She was also a member of the Board of Governors for the Council of State Governments, as well as the Chair of the National Legislative Transportation Committee.

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