George Burditt

George Miller Burditt Jr. (September 21, 1922 – March 12, 2013) was an American lawyer and politician, best known for his work on food safety law.

Early life and education Burditt was born at St. Anthony's Hospital on the West Side of Chicago, but grew up in La Grange, Illinois. He attended Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, starring on the basketball team (and later being inducted into the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame), and serving as valedictorian upon his graduation in 1940.

Burditt continued practicing law, later at his daughter's firm,

In 1974, Burditt ran against incumbent U.S. Sen. Adlai Stevenson III but lost amid a nationwide wave of anti-Republican sentiment following President Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon. Organizations he chaired at one point or another included the Chicago Bar Association, then located in Mount Carroll, Illinois; he had joined the board in 1956. His tenure as chairman overlapped with the period in this tiny school's history known as the "Grotesque Internecine Struggle", a bitter political fight between younger faculty and students on the one hand and older faculty and the administration on the other. Although he was not directly involved, a letter sent by Burditt played a galvanizing role in the struggle: A week long campaign by the Apathy Committee climaxed on December with a panel discussion featuring students, faculty, and administrators. Three days later Dr. David Weiser received a letter from George Burditt, chairman of the Board of Trustees, suggesting that he resign. Apathy hasn't been mentioned since.

Death and legacy

Burditt died on March 12, 2013, at Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital, following a heart attack earlier in the month.