Governor Andrew Horace Burke

ANDREW H. BURKE, the second governor of North Dakota, was born in New York City on May 15, 1850. He became orphaned at early age, and consequently, became a ward of the New York Children’s Aid Society. He later was sent to Noblesville, Indiana, where a farmer adopted him. During the Civil War, he served as a drummer boy with the Seventy-fifth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. After the war, he returned to Indiana and resumed his education, attending Asbury University (currently DePauw University) for two years. After working various jobs in Indiana, Ohio, and Minnesota, Burke settled in Casselton, Dakota Territory, where he worked as a bookkeeper and bank teller. He first entered politics as the treasurer of Cass County, a position he held three terms. Burke next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote on November 4, 1890. During his tenure, a general election bill was sanctioned; state bonds were secured to pay the Dakota Territory deficit; and a commission was formed to frame state laws. After running unsuccessfully for reelection, Burke returned to private life. He later served as an inspector with the U.S. Land Office in Washington, D.C. Governor Andrew H. Burke passed away on November 17, 1918.