James Francis Burke
| James Francis Burke | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 31st district |
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In office March 4, 1905 – March 3, 1915 |
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| Preceded by | Henry K. Porter |
| Succeeded by | John M. Morin |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 21, 1867 Petroleum Center, Pennsylvania |
| Died | August 8, 1932 (aged 64) Washington, D.C. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Josephine Birch Scott |
| Children | James Scott Burke Josephine Frances Burke |
James Francis Burke (October 21, 1867 – August 8, 1932) was Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania.
James Burke was born in Petroleum Center, Pennsylvania in 1867. He studied law at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor where he graduated 1892. While at Michigan he organized the American Republican College League, the predecessor to the College Republicans. Petitioning then president, Republican William McKinley Burke won approval for the organization and hosted an inigural banquet attended by McKinley along with 1,500 college students The organization quickly spread to almost every college in the country. In 1888 at age 21, Burke was made secretary of the committee in charge of the dedication of the then-new Allegheny County Court House, at which President Rutherford B. Hays made the dedicating address.
After graduating from Michigan he was admitted to the Allegheny County bar the same year. Subsequently, he was admitted to the Superior and Supreme courts of Pennsylvania, and later to the United States Supreme Court, and commenced practice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the secretary of the Republican National Committee in 1892, resigning during the same year to devote his entire time to his duties as president of the American Republican College League.
Burke ran for congress in 1904 and was elected by a wide majority. He subsequently served five consecutive terms. He was chairman of the congressional committee which inaugurated William Howard Taft as President.
During his time in congress, Burke served on a number of committees, including:
He had a hand in a number of important pieces of legislation, including taking an active role in framing the Federal Reserve Act which created the Federal Reserve Bank, America's central bank.
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