Gottlieb Burian (1837–1902) is the namesake for the city of

Burien, Washington Burien ( ) is a suburban city in King County, Washington, United States, located south of Seattle on Puget Sound. As of the 2020 census, Burien's population was 52,066, which is a 56.3% increase since incorporation in 1993, making it the 25th ...

. He was an early settler to the region (before Washington statehood in 1889) who established a home near what is now known as Lake Burien in 1884. He originally immigrated with his wife from

Middle Silesia Regierungsbezirk Breslau, known colloquially as Middle Silesia (; ; ), was a ''Regierungsbezirk,'' or government region, in the Prussian Province of Silesia and later Lower Silesia from 1813 to 1945. It comprised the eastern parts of the histor ...

to the United States in 1862, first residing in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, where he started his family, then moved to the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

area, where he became a prominent citizen.

Biography

Gottlieb Burian was born on 26 March 1837 (baptized 28 March 1837) in Hussinetz, Middle Silesia,

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

(now Gęsiniec,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

). He was the tenth child of twelve to Johann Burian, a land owner in Hussinetz, and Maria Elisabeth (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Laschtufka) Burian. He married Emma Bertha Wilhelmine Wurm, probably in Kolberg (now Kolobrzeg,

) when he was 24 years old. The couple immigrated from

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Castle Garden Castle Clinton (also known as Fort Clinton and Castle Garden) is a restored circular sandstone fort within Battery Park at the southern end of Manhattan in New York City, United States. Built from 1808 to 1811, it was the first American immig ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

on the

barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts of which the fore mast, mainmast, and any additional masts are Square rig, rigged square, and only the aftmost mast (mizzen in three-maste ...

''Liriope'' in 1862. After arriving in America, Burian and his wife established their first home in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

where they began raising a family and Gottlieb worked as a

shoemaker Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or '' cordwainers'' (sometimes misidentified as cobblers, who repair shoes rather than make them). In the 18th cen ...

. Twelve years later, in 1874, Burian and his family moved to

Thurston County, Washington Thurston County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 294,793. The county seat is Olympia, Washington, Olympia, the ...

, then settled further north in

. Burian soon owned two successful

tavern A tavern is a type of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that ...

s, became active in the city's German community, and purchased a large home in Seattle's

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill is a neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in both the Northeast, Washington, D.C., Northeast and Southeast, Washington, D.C., Southeast quadrants. It is bounded by 14th Street SE & NE, F S ...

neighborhood. His three children who survived childhood, Martha, Frank, and Emma Clara Burian, were born in Seattle. In 1884, Gottlieb Burian found an attractive

homestead Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (building), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses * Nguni homestead, a cluster of houses inhabited by a single extended family, typically with a kraal ...

site on unsettled, forested land on the southeast corner of Lake Burien in Sunnydale, 12 miles south of Seattle. Five years later, he bought the land directly from a federal government land office and built a second home there as a retreat from city life. Burian became a popular and respected figure in the community, which was renamed "Burien" to honor him following his death (however spelled with an "e" rather than an "a"). Burian was struck by an electric

streetcar A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...

when he changed direction while crossing a street in downtown Seattle in November 1900. He was badly injured and a series of high-profile court cases followed. Litigation was finally settled in 1904 by the Washington State Supreme Count which overturned a Superior Court decision and ruled in his favor with his wife and daughter substituted as plaintiffs. While the case was moving through the courts, Burian died of an illness unrelated to the accident on 21 February 1902. Residents paid their final respects in a large funeral procession that included a band and wagons filled with flowers. He and all of the members of his immediate family are buried at

Lake View Cemetery Lake View Cemetery is a Private property, privately owned, Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Rural cemetery, garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland, Ohio, East Cleveland ...

in Seattle. According to the Highline Historical Society, there is no evidence that Gottlieb Burian descended from a noble Prussian family. It also states there is no evidence that he and members of his family ever spelled their last name any way other than "Burian" despite tales that he was known as "von Boorien". Possible explanations for the myths surrounding the spelling of his name may originate from

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

reports about Austrian foreign minister Stephan Burian von Rajecz, called Baron von Burian in newspaper headlines of the time.

References

External links

King County Public Library, '' AnswerFile'': Burian Way

''Profile for Burien, Washington, WA''

''Highline Historical Society Sets Record Straight On Guy Burien Was Named After''
posted 18 November 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Burian, Gottlieb 1837 births 1902 deaths People from Washington Territory People from Strzelin People from the Province of Silesia Prussian emigrants to the United States People from Burien, Washington Burials at Lake View Cemetery (Seattle)