Jackson Burke
American type and book designer
About Jackson Burke
Lived 1908 – 1975 (aged 66–67). Jackson Burke was an American typographer.
Jackson Burke (1908 in San Francisco, California – 1975) was an American type and book designer. After studying at the University of California, Berkeley, he succeeded C.H. Griffith as Director of Typographic Development at Mergenthaler Linotype from 1949 until 1963, where he designed several type faces.
He was also responsible for a number of other achievements at Mergenthaler-Linotype including:
development of fonts for Native American languages development of the TeleTypesetting System (TTS) for magazine use development and implementation of the first phase of Linotype Group's photocomposition library
With his wife Mary Griggs Burke (1916–2012) he was a noted collector of Japanese art; by the time of her death, the collection had become the largest private collection of Japanese art outside Japan. The couple did not have children, and on her death in 2012 their collection was divided between the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Type Faces Trade Gothic series (Linotype), similar to Morris Fuller Benton's News Gothic. Trade Gothic Condensed + Bold (1948) Trade Gothic Extra Condensed + Bold (1948) Trade Gothic + Bold (1955) Trade Gothic Extended + Bold (1959) Trade Gothic Light + Italic (1962) Majestic + Bold (1955, Linotype), some sources credit this face to Burke, while others simply list it as being created by "staff designers". Aurora + Italic (1960, Linotype), only made in 8.5 point.
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Important facts
People in Jackson Burke's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Jackson Burke's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Jackson Burke?
American type and book designer
When was Jackson Burke born?
Jackson Burke was born in 1908.
When did Jackson Burke die?
Jackson Burke died in 1975.
What was Jackson Burke's occupation?
Jackson Burke was a typographer.
What nationality was Jackson Burke?
Jackson Burke was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jackson Burke. https://biography.guide/jackson-burke/
MLA: "Jackson Burke." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jackson-burke/.
Chicago: "Jackson Burke." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jackson-burke/.
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