Alice Burke
Mayor of Westfield, Massachusetts
In office
1940–1943
Preceded byRaymond H. Cowing
Succeeded byArthur B. Long
In office
1954–1955
Preceded byRichard Fuller
Succeeded byLeonard Warner
In office
1958–1959
Preceded byLeonard Warner
Succeeded byJohn D. O'Connor
Personal details
BornJune 19, 1892
Whitinsville, Massachusetts
DiedMay 14, 1974 (aged 81)
Springfield, Massachusetts
Resting placeSaint Marys Cemetery, Westfield, Massachusetts
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseWilliam Thomas Burke (1922–1961; his death)
Alma materFitchburg Normal School
OccupationTeacher, politician

Alice Driscoll Burke (June 19, 1892 – May 14, 1974) was an American politician who was the mayor of Westfield, Massachusetts, from 1940 to 1943, 1954 to 1955, and 1958 to 1959. She was the first woman mayor in Massachusetts and New England.[1]

Early life

Burke was born in Whitinsville, Massachusetts. She graduated from Northbridge High School and Fitchburg Normal School. She was a teacher in Hampden County, Massachusetts, for 20 years before entering politics.[2]

Political career

In 1933, the Westfield School Committee adopted a policy of employing only unmarried female teachers and fired Burke from her job as a sixth-grade teacher.[1] That fall, she was elected to the Westfield School Committee by four votes.[3] In 1935, she was a finalist for mayor of Westfield, but was ruled ineligible because of an ordinance preventing individuals who were receiving a salary from the city from running for mayor (Burke was paid as a member of the school committee).[4] She was eligible to run in 1937, but lost to incumbent Raymond H. Cowing by 561 votes. In 1939, she defeated Cowing 3637 votes to 3510.[5] She was reelected in 1941, but lost to city councilor Arthur B. Long in 1943.[6][7] In 1944, she was an unsuccessful candidate for the Massachusetts Senate in the Hampden, Hampshire, and Berkshire district, losing to Republican Ralph Lerche.[8] She was a finalist for mayor in 1949 and 1951, but lost in the runoff election both times.[9][10][11] Her 1953 campaign was a success, but she went on to lose reelection in 1955 to Leonard Warner.[12][13] In 1957, she defeated Warner in a rematch.[14] Her third term ended as quickly as her second, though, as she lost to John D. O'Connor.[15] Her next attempts to regain the mayoralty failed as she lost to O'Connor in 1961 and Harold Martin in 1963 and 1965.[16][17]

From 1968 to 1973, Burke was an at-large member of the Westfield city council.[18]

Burke died on May 14, 1974, in Springfield, Massachusetts. She was 81 years old.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Mrs. Alice D. Burke, 81, first N.E. woman mayor". The Boston Globe. May 15, 1974.
  2. ↑ "Profile of the Week: Mayor Alice D. Burke". Westfield News Advertiser. Westfield Athenaeum, Westfield, MA. Aug 25, 1955.
  3. ↑ "Cleveland of Westfield Has No Whish for Recount". The Boston Daily Globe. December 15, 1933.
  4. ↑ "Asks Mayor's Office Be Made Unpaid One: Mrs. Burke of Westfield Barred, Seeks Way to Run". The Boston Daily Globe. November 22, 1935.
  5. ↑ "First Woman Mayor in Bay State Elected by Westfield Voters". The Boston Daily Globe. November 8, 1939.
  6. ↑ "6 Greater Boston Mayors Win; Mrs. Burke Victor". The Boston Daily Globe. November 5, 1941.
  7. ↑ "Mrs. Burke's Defeat Only Upset in State". The Boston Daily Globe. November 3, 1943.
  8. ↑ "Woman Seeks Senate". The Boston Daily Globe. November 3, 1943.
  9. ↑ "6 Cities to Vote on Changes in Government". The Boston Daily Globe. November 6, 1949.
  10. ↑ "35 Cities Vote Today; Mayor Contests in 25". The Boston Daily Globe. November 6, 1951.
  11. ↑ "Voters Pick New Mayors in 27 of 37 Polls Today". The Boston Daily Globe. November 3, 1953.
  12. ↑ Fenton, John H. (November 5, 1953). "Democrats Score in Massachusetts". The New York Times.
  13. ↑ "Mayors Elected". The Boston Daily Globe. November 9, 1955.
  14. ↑ "Mayoralty Result". The Berkshire Eagle. November 6, 1957.
  15. ↑ "Two Mayors Ousted, Others Shocked, in Primary Contests". The Boston Daily Globe. October 7, 1959.
  16. ↑ "Mrs. Burke Named 11th Time Mayor O'Connor Heads List". The Boston Globe. October 11, 1961.
  17. ↑ "Incumbents Did Well In Most Bay State Cities". Greenfield Recorder Gazette. October 6, 1965.
  18. ↑ LaBorde, Ted (November 3, 2015). "Westfield Mayor Dan Knapik wins at-large seat on City Council". The Republican. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
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