Thomas J. Burch (born July 19, 1931) is an American politician in the state of

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. Burch, born in Louisville, attended

Bellarmine College Bellarmine University ( ; BU) is a private Catholic university in Louisville, Kentucky, UNited States. It opened on October 3, 1950, as Bellarmine College, established by Archbishop John A. Floersh of the Archdiocese of Louisville and named af ...

, graduating in 1959 in business. He served in 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 ...

and

United States Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...

from 1948 to 1956, and also worked for

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...

from 1953 to 1991 as a production control manager.Thomas Burch's Biography – Project Vote Smart
/ref> In 1969, Burch unsuccessfully ran for the

Kentucky Senate The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout Kentucky, the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky senators. T ...

, losing to incumbent Republican senator Walter Reichert. He was elected to the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a ...

initially in 1971, serving two terms. He was defeated for reelection by Republican

Jon Ackerson Jon Winston Ackerson (born 1943) is a former member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, and the Kentucky Senate The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elect ...

in 1975. He was elected again in 1977 when Ackerson retired to run for the

. Committees he served on currently are: Budget Review Subcommittee on Human Resources, Health and Welfare (Chair) House Budget Review Subcommittee on Human Resources, Interim Joint Committee on Health and Welfare (Co-chair), Interim Joint Committee on Licensing and Occupations, Interim Joint Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection, Licensing and Occupations, and Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Safety. Awards received include: * Distinguished Service Award, Jefferson County Health Board * Kentucky Association of Homes for Children Circle of Love Award * Kentucky Outstanding Legislator Award for Health Legislation *Kidney Foundation Legislative Award * Legislator of the Year Child Support Enforcement 1990 A

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

by religion, Burch is married to Patty McDevitt and has five children and resides in Louisville. He is a member a board member of Brooklawn Youth Services, and a member of the Home of the Innocents, Kentucky Domestic Violence Association, Kentucky Organ Donor Council, Kentucky Welfare Reform Coalition, Kosair Children's Hospital, Lions Foundation, and the

National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...

. In 2010, Burch released a statement regarding alleged sexual abuse he experienced as a youth by a

priest. In 2022, Burch was defeated by Daniel Grossberg in the Democratic

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

Electoral history

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burch, Tom 1931 births Living people Democratic Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky Bellarmine University alumni Businesspeople from Kentucky 21st-century members of the Kentucky General Assembly 20th-century members of the Kentucky General Assembly