Representative Thomas Francis Burchill

Thomas Francis Burchill (August 3, 1882 – March 26, 1955) was an American businessman and Democratic politician who served one term as a United States Representative from New York from 1943 to 1945. His congressional service took place during a critical phase of World War II, when the United States was deeply engaged in global conflict and major domestic mobilization, and he participated in the legislative process on behalf of his New York constituents.

Burchill was born on August 3, 1882, in New York City. He was educated in the city, attending St. Francis Xavier High School, a Jesuit secondary school in Manhattan. He went on to pursue higher education at Niagara University in Lewiston, New York, from which he graduated. His early life and education in Catholic institutions helped shape the foundation for his later professional and public service career in New York.

After completing his education, Burchill embarked on a business career in New York City. Beginning after 1900, he worked as an auctioneer and appraiser, occupations that placed him in close contact with the city’s commercial and real estate sectors. He was also involved in the insurance business, further broadening his experience in finance and commerce. These business pursuits established his reputation in the city’s economic life and provided the practical background that would inform his later work as a legislator.

Burchill entered public office as a member of the New York State Assembly, representing New York County’s 3rd District. He served in the Assembly for five consecutive years, from 1920 through 1924. In this role, he participated in state-level lawmaking during a period marked by post–World War I adjustment, Prohibition, and significant social and economic change in New York. His legislative work in the Assembly helped launch a long tenure in state government.

In 1925, Burchill advanced to the New York State Senate, representing the 13th District. He served in the Senate from 1925 to 1938, sitting in the 148th through the 161st New York State Legislatures. Over these fourteen consecutive legislative sessions, he took part in deliberations and policymaking during the late 1920s and throughout the Great Depression, a time when New York State grappled with economic crisis, unemployment, and the implementation of New Deal–era reforms. In 1938, reflecting his prominence in state affairs, he was appointed a member of the New York World’s Fair Commission, which was responsible for planning and oversight related to the 1939–1940 New York World’s Fair, a major international exposition held in Queens.

Burchill was elected as a Democrat to the 78th United States Congress, representing New York in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served from January 3, 1943, to January 3, 1945. His single term in Congress coincided with the height of World War II, when Congress addressed issues such as war appropriations, military manpower, industrial production, and postwar planning. As a member of the House of Representatives, Thomas Francis Burchill participated in the democratic process, contributed to the legislative work of the 78th Congress, and represented the interests of his New York constituents during this significant period in American history.

After leaving Congress in 1945, Burchill returned to New York City and resumed his former business pursuits. Drawing on his earlier experience, he again engaged in work as an auctioneer, appraiser, and in related commercial activities. In addition, he served as a consultant and alien property custodian, a role associated with the administration and oversight of property in the United States owned by nationals of countries with which the United States had been at war or in conflict, a responsibility that reflected the lingering legal and economic issues stemming from World War II.

Thomas Francis Burchill died on March 26, 1955, in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York. He was interred at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York, a burial place for many prominent New Yorkers. His widow, Margaret McMahon Burchill, survived him by more than a decade and died in 1968.