David Warren Burke (April 3, 1936 – April 18, 2014) was an American news executive and political administrator. He was Vice President

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

, where he worked with

Peter Jennings Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings (July 29, 1938August 7, 2005) was a Canadian-born American television journalist who served as the sole anchor of ''ABC World News Tonight'' from 1983 until his death from lung cancer in 2005. He dropped o ...

and Barbara Walters, among others.David Burke, former CBS News chief, dies at 78
CBS News; accessed April 20, 2014. President of CBS News (1988–90) Born on April 3, 1936 in Brookline, Massachusetts. Burke was the son of a police officer and grandson of a firefighter. He graduated from Tufts University with a degree in economics. Following Tufts University he began working at Lever Brothers factory mixing soap and loading freight cars. After a year the plant was closed and Burke moved on to the

University of Chicago Booth School of Business The University of Chicago Booth School of Business (Chicago Booth or Booth) is the graduate business school of the University of Chicago. Founded in 1898, Chicago Booth is the second-oldest business school in the U.S. and is associated with 10 N ...

, where he earned his MBA, he worked for

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) as well as for

New York Governor The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ha ...

Hugh Carey Hugh Leo Carey (April 11, 1919 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and attorney. He was a seven-term U.S. representative from 1961 to 1974 and the 51st governor of New York from 1975 to 1982. He was a member of the Democratic Part ...

(D-NY), as secretary. One of his college professors, George P. Shultz, helped him get a job at the White House under President John F. Kennedy as executive secretary of the Advisory Committee on Labor-Management Policy. In 1965, Mr. Burke joined Senator Kennedy's staff as a legislative assistant. Within three weeks he was shepherding legislation to abolish the poll tax and liberalize immigration. The next year, he became administrative assistant, the top job in a Senate office. In 1995, Burke was appointed by then President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

to the

Broadcasting Board of Governors The United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), formerly the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), is an independent agency of the United States government that broadcasts news and information. It describes its mission, "vital to US nation ...

as its first chairman. The David Burke Distinguished Journalism Award is named after him. The award recognizes courage, integrity, and professionalism of journalists who work for media networks under the U.S. Agency for Global Media. Burke left the board in 1998.

Death

Burke died at a hospital in Medford, Massachusetts on April 18, 2014, aged 78. He had

vascular dementia Vascular dementia (VaD) is dementia caused by problems in the supply of blood to the brain, typically a series of minor strokes, leading to worsening cognitive abilities, the decline occurring piecemeal. The term refers to a syndrome consisti ...

. He was survived by his wife of more than a half century, Beatrice C. "Trixie" (née Pollock) Burke, their five children, his sister Constance, and a large extended family.Former CBS News President David Burke Dies
Worldnews.com; accessed April 20, 2014.

References

1935 births 2014 deaths New York (state) Democrats American business executives Presidents of CBS News Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences alumni University of Chicago Booth School of Business alumni Place of birth missing {{US-business-bio-1930s-stub