Born: September 17, 1907
St. Paul, Minnesota

Died: June 25, 1995
Alexandria, Virginia

Warren Earl Burger

Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

Nominated by Dwight D. Eisenhower on January 12, 1956, to a seat vacated by Harold M. Stephens. Confirmed by the Senate on March 28, 1956, and received commission on March 29, 1956. Service terminated on June 23, 1969, due to appointment to another judicial position.

Chief Justice, Supreme Court of the United States

Nominated by Richard M. Nixon on May 23, 1969, to a seat vacated by Earl Warren. Confirmed by the Senate on June 9, 1969, and received commission on June 23, 1969. Assumed senior status on September 26, 1986. Service terminated on June 25, 1995, due to death.

Supreme Court Oath:

June 23, 1969

Allotment as Circuit Justice:

Fourth Circuit, June 9, 1970-September 25, 1986
District of Columbia Circuit, June 9, 1970-September 25, 1986
Federal Circuit, October 1, 1982-September 25, 1986

Education:

St. Paul College of Law (now Mitchell Hamline School of Law), LL.B., 1931

Frame Dimensions
Oil on canvas 42″ X 34″

Artist
George Augusta, born in Boston, studied painting in Florence, Italy, while he served in the Army during World War II. Returning to the states, he became a student of the Boston School painter Ernest L. Major, and has painted portraits in oil and pastel for individuals and institutions in many parts of the country. He paints in a traditional impressionist style and particularly enjoys painting portraits of children. He also paints figures, landscapes, and still lifes.

Mr. Augusta maintains a studio in West Newbury, Massachusetts, and is a member of the Guild of Boston Artists and The Copley Society. He is represented by Vose Galleries in Boston.

Year Painted
1982

Sculpture
Bronze, brown patina, 16 1/2″ high, 1989

Artist
Original design and fabrication by Robert G. Becker 1984.

Professional Career:

Private practice, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1931-1953
Instructor in contracts and trusts, St. Paul College of Law, 1931-1948
Assistant attorney general, Civil Litigation Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1953-1956
Presiding officer, Judicial Conference of the United States, 1969-1986
Chair of the board, Federal Judicial Center, 1969-1986

College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Va.

  • Papers, ca. 1930-1995. Collection includes personal and professional papers, and memorabilia documenting Burger’s professional life and judicial career. The collection is closed to researchers until 2026.

Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Mich.

  • Stephen T. Roth papers, 1936, 1979, n.d.; 2 cubic ft.; finding aid; correspondence.

Columbia University, New York, N.Y.

  • Edwin Howard Armstrong papers, 1890-1972; 248 linear ft. (ca. 218,000 items); finding aid; correspondence.
  • Wilfred Feinberg papers, 1936-2011; 222.71 linear ft.; finding aid; represented.

Radcliffe College Schlesinger Library on the History of Women Cambridge, Mass.

  • Justine Wise Polier papers, 1892-1990; 24.5 linear ft.; finding aid; correspondence.

Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Mass.

  • Papers of William Henry Hastie, 1916-1976; 74 linear ft. (ca. 39,000 items); finding aid; correspondence.
  • Papers of Roscoe Pound, 1888-1964; 128 linear ft. (ca. 80,000 items); finding aid; correspondence

The Huntington Library, San Marino, Cal.

  • Donald R. Wright papers, 1933-1977; 87 items; finding aid; correspondence.

University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

  • Harold John Gallagher papers, 1910-1981; 28 ft.; finding aid; correspondence.

University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky.

  • Stanley F. Reed collection, 1902-1975; 377 boxes; finding aid; correspondence

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

  • Harry A. Blackmun papers, 1913-2001; 630.2 linear ft.; finding aid; correspondence.
  • Daniel J. Boorstin papers, 1882-1995; 171.2 linear ft.; finding aid; correspondence.
  • William Joseph Brennan papers, 1956-1990; 305,000 items; finding aid; restricted; correspondence.
  • Gerhard Alden Gesell papers, 1956-1993; 67.2 linear ft.; finding aid; restricted; correspondence.
  • Fred P. Graham papers, 1947-1983; 21.2 linear ft.; finding aid; restricted; represented.
  • Clement Furman Haynsworth papers, 1886-1989; 81.8 linear ft.; finding aid; restricted; correspondence.
  • Frank Minis Johnson papers, 1945-1989; 133.6 linear ft. (116,000 items); finding aid; restricted; correspondence.
  • Irving Robert Kaufman papers, 1934-1992; 58.7 linear ft. (43,000 items); finding aid; restricted; correspondence.
  • Harold Leventhal papers, 1932-1980; 94 linear ft. (80,000 items); finding aid; restricted; correspondence.
  • Elijah Barrett Prettyman papers, 1901-1971; 62 linear ft. (57,000 items); finding aid; correspondence.
  • Simon Ernest Sobeloff papers, 1882-1973; 158 linear ft. (95,000 items); finding aid; correspondence.
  • Earl Warren papers, 1864-1974; 250,000 items; finding aid; correspondence.

Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Minn.

  • Edward J. Devitt papers, 1925-1992; 14.75 cubic ft.; finding aid; correspondence
  • Frank P. Leslie papers, 1903-1972; 6.5 cubic ft.; finding aid; letters received; see also Frank P. Leslie, The Resurrection of the Republican Party in Minnesota, 1932-1950, in the MHS book collection, which includes tipped-in letters from Burger.
  • George E. MacKinnon papers, 1927-1995; 178 cubic ft.; finding aid; correspondence.
  • Robert Eliot Matteson papers, ca. 1930-1989; 5 cubic ft. (5 boxes); finding aid; correspondence.
  • Rose Carolyn Spencer papers, 1889-1967; 4 cubic ft.; finding aid; correspondence.
  • Luther W. Youngdahl papers, 1923-1968; 7.2 cubic ft.; finding aid; represented.

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.

  • Papers of James J. Kilpatrick, 1925-1966; 35,680 items; finding aid; correspondence.
  • Papers of J. Harry Michael, Jr., 1958-1986; 57,900 items; finding aid; restricted; correspondence

Washington and Lee University Lewis F. Powell, Jr., Archives, Lexington, Va.

  • Lewis F. Powell, Jr., papers, 1921-1998; 363 cubic ft.; finding aid; correspondence

University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.

  • Eugene Allen Wright papers, 1954-1989; 5.75 linear ft.; finding aid; correspondence

Wayne State University Walter P. Reuther Library, Detroit, Mich.

  • Arthur F. Lederle papers, 1914-1967; 3.25 linear ft. (5 boxes); finding aid; restricted; correspondence.

Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisc.

  • Perry Wolff papers, 1945-1989; 3.2 cubic ft.; finding aid; represented.
Judges of the D.C. Circuit Courts