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and his Home Guard in providing armed defense for the
Chinese against vigilantism. In this, he was a defender not so much of the Chinese themselves as of the rule of law. When one of the anti-Chinese rioters died of a gunshot incurred during the violence of February 7, 1886, Burke was among those
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The
Northern Pacific eventually gained control of SLS&E by purchasing a majority of its stock. By this time, Seattle had established itself well enough as a city that Northern Pacific chose actually to operate the line (though the city did not get a major passenger terminal until 1905).
160:"Irish as a clay pipe," and well liked by early Seattle's largely Irish working class, as a lawyer Burke was well known for collecting large fees from his wealthy clients and providing free legal services for the poor. Therefore, many were surprised when he opposed the working-class
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Burke frequently organized subscription drives to raise money for
Seattle projects, to the point that he often described himself as a "professional beggar." His would often be the first name on the petition, pledging the first dollar—or, later, the first thousand dollars.
240:.) In the event, Burke ended up accompanying Gilman on the trip. It became clear that any eastern investment would be dependent upon at least 10% of the investment coming from Seattle-area locals. The investment was found, and Burke became a railway attorney.
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bought it out in 1883 during his brief tenure at the head of
Northern Pacific. However, Villard's successors operate the line intermittently at best, leaving the city little benefit from its support for the venture.
142:; he soon married McGilvra's daughter Caroline. He established himself as a civic activist: one of his first projects was to raise funds for a planked walkway from roughly the corner of First and Pike (now site of
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sheriff to head off to the wilderness with all of his deputies to prevent a representative of a rival railway scheme from serving a writ that would have prevented the construction of a bridge across the
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James J. Hill hired Burke in 1890 as the local counsel for the Great
Northern, virtually guaranteeing Seattle's role as that line's western terminus. However, city engineer
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opposed adding yet another railroad to the crowded waterfront. When the Great
Northern ran its first train to Seattle June 20, 1893, the end of the line was at
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The building of the SLS&E was a combination of hard-headed business and frontier disregard for law. On at least one occasion, Burke convinced the
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106:(December 22, 1849 – December 4, 1925) was an American lawyer, railroad builder, and judge who made his career in
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He served as probate judge 1876-1880 and as chief justice of the
Washington Territorial Supreme Court in 1888.
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as its western terminus. Many thought that this would condemn
Seattle to, at best, a secondary role on
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The Burke
Building, downtown Seattle, built 1890, photographed 1900. On the site of today's
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contains a discussion of Burke's role facing down the anti-Chinese rioters in 1885–1886.
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charged with shooting with intent to kill; none were ever actually brought to trial.
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Burke died on
December 4, 1925. He is buried at the Burke family monument at
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Seattle's first attempt to build its way into the national rail network—the
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from 1888 to 1889. He was the main representative of railroad magnate
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Burke arrived in Seattle in 1875 and formed a law partnership with
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Seattle 1900-1920: From Boomtown, Urban Turbulence, to Restoration
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History of Washington: The Rise and Progress of an American State
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Railroad Development in the Seattle/Puget Sound Region, 1872-1906
411:, Seattle Department of Transportation. Accessed 26 January 2008.
596:, HistoryLink, September 22, 1999. Accessed online 23 May 2008.
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to establish the 120-foot (37 m) Railroad Avenue (now
360:, HistoryLink, January 30, 1999. Accessed 26 January 2008.
676:, Kessinger Publishing (published 2004), pp. 50–52,
110:. He served as chief justice of the Supreme Court of the
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back east to seek investment for another railroad, the
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Meany, Edmond S. (1926), Conover, Charles T. (ed.),
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189:Two years before Burke's arrival in Seattle, the
459:, The Political Graveyard. Accessed 21 May 2008.
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97:American lawyer, railroad builder, and judge
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423:, Burke Museum. Accessed 26 January 2008.
30:For other people named Thomas Burke, see
722:Chapter LVII: The Anti-Chinese Movement
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226:Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway
748:American people in rail transportation
705:, Seattle: Superior Publishing Company
606:Daryl C. McClary (November 27, 2002).
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608:"Great Northern Tunnel — Seattle"
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164:in 1885–86, allying instead with
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89:Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park
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753:American railway entrepreneurs
118:in Seattle. Burke Avenue, The
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32:Thomas Burke (disambiguation)
631:Berner, Richard C. (1991),
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220:Burke raised money to send
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674:Thomas Burke 1849 to 1925
588:Heather M. MacIntosh and
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267:, Burke convinced the
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162:anti-Chinese agitation
18:Thomas Burke (Seattle)
315:Great Northern Tunnel
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758:Lawyers from Seattle
717:Clinton A. Snowden,
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402:Burke-Gilman History
290:and Seattle pioneer
269:Seattle City Council
265:Cornelius H. Hanford
112:Washington Territory
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108:Seattle, Washington
695:, Ballantine Books
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407:2006-05-27 at the
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339:Burke-Gilman Trail
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193:had chosen nearby
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120:Burke-Gilman Trail
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41:Thomas Burke
743:1925 deaths
738:1849 births
651:Jones, Nard
577:Newell 1956
493:Morgan 1960
481:Morgan 1960
469:Morgan 1960
375:Berner 1991
292:David Denny
273:Alaskan Way
230:David Denny
210:King County
199:Puget Sound
732:Categories
625:References
614:2008-05-23
565:Jones 1972
553:Jones 1972
541:Jones 1972
529:Jones 1972
517:Jones 1972
505:Jones 1972
445:Jones 1972
433:Jones 1972
390:Meany 1926
307:Smith Cove
296:streetcars
173:Railwayman
152:Lake Union
146:) through
65:1849-12-22
693:Skid Road
653:(1972),
405:Archived
333:See also
311:Interbay
148:Belltown
122:and the
655:Seattle
421:History
256:of the
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236:, and
195:Tacoma
345:Notes
321:Death
678:ISBN
659:ISBN
637:ISBN
74:Died
59:Born
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