George Miller Burditt Jr. (September 21, 1922 – March 12, 2013) was an American lawyer and politician, best known for his work on food safety law.

Early life and education

Burditt was born at St. Anthony's Hospital on the West Side of Chicago, but grew up in La Grange, Illinois. He attended

Lyons Township High School Lyons Township High School (often referred to as LTHS or simply LT) is a public high school located in Western Springs, Illinois (South Campus), and also in La Grange, Illinois (North Campus). Lyons Township is a co-educational high school and ...

in Lagrange, starring on the basketball team (and later being inducted into the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame), and serving as valedictorian upon his graduation in 1940. Burditt went on to attend Harvard, completing his degree in 1944 while also serving as a pilot in the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

from 1943 to 1945. He followed this with a degree from Harvard Law School after the war, graduating in 1948.

Legal career

After his graduation from Harvard Law, Burditt entered legal practice in Chicago, first at the firm of Chadwell, Keck, Kayser, Ruggles & McLaren, and later at Swift & Co. In 1969, Burditt started his own law firm, Burditt & Calkins. This firm later became part of Bell, Boyd & Lloyd, which was later acquired by

K&L Gates K&L Gates LLP is an American multinational corporation law firm based in the United States, with international offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. Its namesake firms are Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, a Pittsburgh-ba ...

. Burditt continued practicing law, later at his daughter's firm, until the final months of his life at age 90. He was recognized as "the dean of attorneys in the United States practicing food and drug law." In addition to his legal practice and political and charity work, Burditt taught as an adjunct member of the faculty at

Northwestern University Law School Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is the law school of Northwestern University, a private research university. It is located on the university's Chicago campus. Northwestern Law has been ranked among the top 14, or "T14" law sch ...

for thirty years, from 1967 to 1997.

Political career

Burditt took to political life quickly in the 1950s, chairing the

Young Republicans The Young Republican National Federation, commonly referred to as the Young Republicans or YRNF, is a 527 organization for members of the Republican Party of the United States between the ages of 18 and 40. It has both a national organization ...

of Cook County from 1952 to 1953. He served as state vice-chair of the Eisenhower reelection campaign in 1956, and in numerous other capacities. In 1964, Burditt was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the Illinois House of Representatives, in an unprecedented statewide at-large election. In subsequently elections, he ran in the 9th state legislative district; he held this seat until 1972. In the 77th General Assembly of Illinois, 1971–1972, Burditt served as Assistant Majority Leader. During his career, he sponsored numerous reforms of food and drug safety and environmental law; he was the chief sponsor of the 1970 Illinois Environmental Protection Act and the Illinois Endangered Species Act. In 1974, Burditt ran against Adlai Stevenson III for the US Senate, but lost amid a nationwide wave of anti-Republican sentiment following president Gerald Ford's

pardon of Richard Nixon Proclamation 4311 was a Presidential proclamation (United States), presidential proclamation issued by president of the United States Gerald Ford on September 8, 1974, granting a full and unconditional pardon to Richard Nixon, his predecessor, ...

. He did not run for office again after this, although he remained active behind the scenes.

Charitable work

Burditt was highly active in the nonprofit sphere, serving as trustee and donor to numerous Chicago-area institutions, including the Newberry Library. Organizations he chaired at one point or another included the

Chicago Bar Association Founded in 1874, the Chicago Bar Association (CBA) is a voluntary bar association with over 20,000 members. Like other bar associations, it concerns itself with professional ethics, networking among members, and continuing legal education. It is ...

, Harvard Law School Association, Citizens of Greater Chicago, Chicago Civic Association, and the Junior Association of Commerce and Industry. In addition, from 1964 to January 1967, Burditt served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of

Shimer College Shimer Great Books School (pronounced ) is a Great Books college that is part of North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. Prior to 2017, Shimer was an independent, accredited college on the south side of Chicago, with a history of being ...

, then located in

Mount Carroll, Illinois Mount Carroll is a city in Carroll County, Illinois, United States. It is the Carroll County seat. The population was 1479 at the 2020 census. Due to its elevation and northwesterly location, Mount Carroll is subject to unusually cold winter wea ...

; he had joined the board in 1956. His tenure as chairman overlapped with the period in this tiny school's history known as the "Grotesque Internecine Struggle", a bitter political fight between younger faculty and students on the one hand and older faculty and the administration on the other. Although he was not directly involved, a letter sent by Burditt played a galvanizing role in the struggle:

A week long campaign by the Apathy Committee climaxed on December with a panel discussion featuring students, faculty, and administrators. Three days later Dr. David Weiser received a letter from George Burditt, chairman of the Board of Trustees, suggesting that he resign. Apathy hasn't been mentioned since.

Death and legacy

Burditt died on March 12, 2013, at Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital, following a heart attack earlier in the month.

Works cited

* * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burditt, George 1922 births 2013 deaths Lawyers from Chicago Politicians from Chicago Writers from Chicago Harvard Law School alumni Military personnel from Illinois Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from La Grange, Illinois Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law faculty United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II United States Army Air Forces officers 20th-century American lawyers