Judge Burke
Named in 26 stories. Back to all names
- Apr 28, 1877The Man Who Thought He Was a Millionaire: A Seattle Mental Health TragedyIn April 1877, a man wandering the streets of Seattle claimed his parents were murdered and he was retrieving buried fortune. After assaulting a stranger with a dagger, he was committed to an asylum.Seattle, WA
- Jul 21, 1877The Day Fall City Danced: A July 4th Celebration in the Shadow of WarWhile General Howard debated tactics against Native tribes elsewhere in Washington Territory, residents of Fall City gathered in a cedar grove to celebrate the nation's birthday with speeches, picnics, and swings.Kent, WA
- Apr 19, 1882The Real Estate Boom of 1881A local column notes the rapidly inflating property values in Seattle, documenting how land changed hands for thousands in gold coin within a single year.Main Street, Seattle, WA
- Jun 9, 1883Choosing the Schoolhouse for North SeattleCity officials scout a new location for a school on a high ridge overlooking Lake Union and the Sound.Seattle, WA
- Oct 23, 1883The Rotting SchoolhouseA local mechanic alerts the city to a school building construction so shoddy it was doomed to collapse.Seattle, WA
- Jan 11, 1884Investors Eye a Comprehensive Street Railway SystemA group from Boston is negotiating to build a streetcar line on Jackson Street and potentially the entire city, contingent on land bonuses.Jackson Street, Seattle, WA
- Jun 29, 1887The Deed, the Railroad, and the Piles in North SeattleA waterfront owner blocks railroad crews from driving piles in front of his North Seattle property while a right-of-way deed sits unsigned in New York.Seattle, WA
- Jun 1, 1888The Iron City on the Lake: Peter Kirk’s $20 Million Steel Empire Rises in KirklandBritish industrialist Peter Kirk has secured 2,000 acres on Lake Washington to build a massive iron and steel works, complete with a planned company town. Local leaders hail it as the catalyst for Seattle's transformation into a global manufacturing hub.Houghton, Seattle, WA
- Feb 21, 1889The Wickersham Scandal: A Judge’s Honor on TrialIn a Tacoma courtroom that captivated the Pacific Northwest, Miss Brantner takes the stand for days, detailing alleged improprieties with Probate Judge Wickersham. The trial exposes a web of land fraud, cocaine use, and social climbing, culminating in a judge’s furious rebuke of a laughing crowd.Tacoma, WA
- Feb 27, 1889The Judge Who Was Both Defendant and AccusedIn a stunning legal double-header, Judge Wickersham is convicted of seduction in one court, then immediately indicted for perjury by the federal grand jury in the very same day.Seattle, WA
- Mar 1, 1889The $10,000 Bet That Built Seattle’s Front StreetSuperintendent Thompson risks a fortune to beat the calendar, while a separate land dispute erupts over tide flats near Grant Street.Front Street, Seattle, WA
- Mar 3, 1889The Funeral Pyre of Justice: Seattle Burns Its Gambling DenAs the Territorial Grand Jury demands a sewer system and a new jail, Sheriff Cochrane immolates tons of gambling paraphernalia on a public bonfire, while Judge Burke condemns saloon keepers to revoke their licenses.Seattle, WA
- May 10, 1889The Judge Who Dissolved Two TownsA legal loophole in territorial law leaves aspiring municipalities in limbo after Judge Hanford declares the town-incorporation statute unconstitutional.Seattle, WA
- Jul 24, 1892James J. Hill Promises the Great Northern Will Reach the East by November — and Denies Any San Francisco LineThe railroad president stops in Seattle, admits terminal talks have failed, and says his trains will be running through to the East before the year is out.Seattle, WA
- Oct 16, 1892A Tame Night for the DemocratsA much-hyped torchlight parade for ex-Congressman Voorhees draws a smaller-than-expected crowd, signaling shifting political winds in 1892 Seattle.Armory, Seattle, WA
- Feb 14, 1893Seven Lots, Three Judges, and a Railroad's Sky-High BillWith jurors suspected of being bribed, three judges took over the Great Northern condemnation case—and the valuations for a few lots near King Street swung wildly.Seattle, WA
- Feb 27, 1893The Legislators Who Came to See a Ditch—and Left BelieversA steamboat tour of Smith Cove and Lake Union turns Eastern Washington lawmakers into ship-canal converts.Smith Cove, Seattle, WA
- Jun 1, 1893Making Way for the Iron HorseSeattle's Board of Aldermen debates the Great Northern railroad franchise, wrestling with the demand for a major depot against the city's future growth.Railroad Avenue, Seattle, WA
- Jun 2, 1893Railroad Giants Clash Over Seattle TerminalsThe Northern Pacific Railroad rebuffs the Great Northern's hope for a union depot, signaling a fierce battle for control over Seattle's industrial waterfront.Jackson Street, Seattle, WA
- Mar 5, 1894Seattle’s 1891 Election-Eve Alarm: ‘Watch Until the Vote Is Counted’On the eve of municipal elections, the Post-Intelligencer accuses the Democratic administration of protected gambling, a looted treasury and stacked election boards—and warns Republicans that the only danger left is the count.Seattle, WA
- Mar 13, 1894The Governor Wins His Battle for the Capitol BoardThe state supreme court rules that Governor McGraw acted within his legal authority to oust commissioner John McReavy.Olympia, WA
- Apr 10, 1894The Battle Over City AusterityThe Municipal Reform League pressures the Seattle City Council to cut wages and spending, sparking a debate on the government's duty to the struggling working class.Seattle, WA
- Apr 18, 1894The Receiver Cut Their Pay 2 Cents an Hour. A Judge Made Him Put It Back.When the Rainier Avenue Electric Railway's court-appointed receiver trimmed motormen's wages from 20 cents to 18 cents an hour, the crews — months behind on pay, with houses in Columbia City bought out of their own wages — took him to court and won.Seattle, WA
- Jul 15, 1894James J. Hill's Railroad Ultimatum to SeattleThe Great Northern president tells Seattle's council he will build freight and passenger terminals 'right away'—if the city grants the track franchises he wants across the tide flats and South Third.Seattle, WA
- Aug 5, 1910Labor Organizer Accuses Judge Burke in 1886 Seattle Anti-Chinese RiotsA labor organizer confronts a political candidate over his role in the 1886 Seattle riots and the killing of a protester.Seattle, WA
- Sep 16, 1910Washington State's 1910 Political Shake-upA wave of progressive 'Insurgent' Republicans swept the primaries in 1910, routing the party establishment and shaking the confidence of federal power brokers.Everett, WA