Jack Lee Burtch (May 11, 1926 – August 29, 2015) was an American lawyer, World War II veteran and politician, who served three terms in the

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

Early life

Jack Burtch was born in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

in 1926. He eventually moved to

Aberdeen, Washington Aberdeen ( ) is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 17,013 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is the most populous in Grays Harbor County and the region's economic center, bordering t ...

, where he attended Weatherwax High School. After high school, he served in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

from 1943 to 1946.

Education and professional career

Following his service in the

, Burtch attended

Whitman College Whitman College is a private liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington. The school offers 53 majors and 33 minors in the liberal arts and sciences, and it has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1. Founded as a seminary by a territorial l ...

Walla Walla, Washington Walla Walla ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,339 as of 2023. The combined populat ...

where he received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

. While residing in Walla Walla, he worked as a prison guard at the

Washington State Penitentiary Washington State Penitentiary (also called the Walla Walla State Penitentiary) is a Washington State Department of Corrections men's prison located in Walla Walla, Washington. With an operating capacity of 2,200, it is the second largest priso ...

. Burtch then attended law school at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

, receiving his Juris Doctor (JD) in 1955. During the same year as receiving his JD, Burtch opened his own private law practice in

. His law practice would go on to last for over 50 years. During his practice of law, Burtch focused his practice on criminal laws, civil rights and police misconduct. From 1955 to 1960, he was a part-time Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Grays Harbor County. He also worked to found the mental health program and treatment for low-income citizens of Grays Harbor County, which is now the Grays Harbor County Public Health & Social Services Department.

Political career

After operating his law practice for a few years, Burtch felt compelled to serve as a state representative for his home district (at the time, this was the 21st District or Grays Harbor County). He was elected to three straight terms where he served in the

from 1961 to 1967. During this time, he served as Assistant Floor Leader and member of the Executive Committee Legislative Council.

Later life and death

In 1967, Burtch's representative district was re-aligned by the state of Washington. At this point, Jack Burtch returned to practicing law full-time as a defense attorney until his disbarment in 2008. In 2013, Burtch was a member of the

Honor Flight An Honor Flight is conducted by non-profit organizations dedicated to transporting as many United States military veterans as possible to see the memorials of the respective war(s) they fought in Washington, DC, at no cost to the veterans. These ...

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, where he toured the war memorials and enjoyed the camaraderie of his fellow service members. Jack Burtch died in 2015, and was survived by his three children and four grandchildren.

References

1926 births 2015 deaths Democratic Party members of the Washington House of Representatives Politicians from Portland, Oregon Washington (state) lawyers Whitman College alumni University of Washington School of Law alumni 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Military personnel from Washington (state) People from Grays Harbor County, Washington United States Navy personnel of World War II Disbarred American lawyers Lawyers from Portland, Oregon 20th-century members of the Washington State Legislature {{Washington-WARepresentative-stub