Politics and Public Service
Warren Burger
1907-1995

Youth

Warren Burger was born on September 17, 1907. As a youth, he attended John A. Johnson High School, where he wrote about school sports events for the local newspapers. After his high school experiences, he desired to further his education.

Burger attended the University of Minnesota, then the St. Paul College of Law, while he worked as an insurance salesman to pay his way through.

Early career

Following graduation, Berger decided to practice law in his home town, St. Paul, where he became active in Republican politics.

It was not until 1952 that Burger became more of a public man when he attended the Republican National Convention to play a key role in the nomination of Dwight D. Eisenhower for president. At the convention, he succeeded in delivering the Minnesota delegation to the Eisenhower camp, thus becoming a valuable part of the former general's campaign. Following Eisenhower's election, Burger was appointed as the Assistant Attorney General in the Department of Justice in 1953. He remained in that position until 1956, when he was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. His term with the Court of Appeals lasted until May 1968, when Associate Justice Abe Fortas was nominated to be the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, replacing Earl Warren.

Due to the timing of Fortas' nomination, it stalled in the Senate, and President Richard M. Nixon took the opportunity to fulfill a promise that he had made — to nominate Burger.

As chief justice

Burger became the chief justice in 1969. As a conservative, he voted unexpectedly during his time in the Supreme Court in such instances as Roe v. Wade. In that controversial case, Burger voted with the majority for the legalization of abortion, which he had previously opposed.

In addition, although Burger was a Nixon supporter, he ruled against the president in the latter's attempt to hold back memos and tapes related to the Watergate Scandal of 1974. The event led Burger to further press Nixon to resign from the presidency to avoid impeachment.

Burger devoted much time to his administration of the nation's legal system, a duty of the chief justice. In the opinion of his contemporaries on the court, as chief executive of the nation's entire judicial system, he contributed more to its betterment than any previous chief justice.

Having been on the bench when many controversial rulings were handed down, Burger stood as a strong supporter of the separation of powers among the three branches of government, and for maintaining their checks and balances. He wrote more than 250 opinions, including landmark decisions.

Major cases and rulings:

On September 26, 1986, Burger retired; his term as chief justice was the longest of the 20th century. He died of congestive heart failure in 1995.

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