Jack Burtch

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Jack Burtch
Member of the Washington House of Representatives for the 21st district
In office 1961–1967
Personal details
Born	Jack Lee Burtch (1926-05-11)May 11, 1926 Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Died	August 29, 2015(2015-08-29) (aged 89) Aberdeen, Washington, U.S.
Political party	Democratic Party (United States)
Children	3
Education	University of Washington (JD) Whitman College (BA)
Occupation	Lawyer
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1943–1946
Battles/wars	World War II

Jack Lee Burtch (May 11, 1926 – August 29, 2015) was an American lawyer, WWII veteran and former politician, who served three terms in the Washington House of Representatives.

Early life[]

Jack Burtch was born in Portland, Oregon in 1926. He eventually moved to Aberdeen, Washington, where he attended Weatherwax High School. After high school, he served in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater for the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946.

Education & professional career[]

Following his service in the United States Navy, Burtch attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington where he received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Political Science. While residing in Walla Walla, he worked as a prison guard at the Washington State Penitentiary. Burtch then attended law school at the University of Washington,^[1] receiving his Juris Doctor (JD) in 1955. During the same year as receiving his JD, Burtch opened his own private law practice in Aberdeen, Washington. 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 Washington House of Representatives from 1961 to 1967.^[2] During this time, he served as Assistant Floor Leader and member of the Executive Committee Legislative Council.

Later life & 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 retirement in 2008. In 2013, Burtch was a member of the Honor Flight to Washington D.C., 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[]

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