Richard Fenner Burges

Richard Fenner Burges (January 7, 1873 – January 13, 1945) was an American attorney, legislator and conservationist.

Biography Burges was born on January 7, 1873, in Seguin, Texas, the son of William H. Burges Sr., an attorney, and Bettie Rust. His mother died six days after he was born, and he was raised by his father, his grandmother and his aunt, Nannie.

He was privately tutored until the eighth grade, when he began studying with a German professor. He attended the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas for a year, "where he excelled in rhetoric and oration."

In 1904, Burges took part in a "so-called 'clean up' of El Paso" and became city attorney there from 1905 to 1907 under Mayor Charles Davis, and in 1907, he wrote a city charter that established a commission form of government in that city. In 1910–11 he was associate counsel for the United States in the arbitration of the Chamizal Dispute with Mexico and, in 1915 the counsel for the El Paso County Water Improvement District. where he helped in the construction of the Elephant Butte irrigation project.

Military

In June 1917, after the entry of United States involvement in World War II, Burges organized Company B of the Texas National Guard, which was incorporated into the Army's 36th Infantry Division as Company A of the 141st Infantry. He commanded the battalion in the Battle of the Argonne and was awarded a Croix de Guerre by the French government after he and a sergeant, Sam Dreben, "made a dash into enemy territory and captured six machine guns and killed 21 German soldiers." Dreben was awarded a U.S. Distinguished Service Cross. He entered the war as a captain and left as a major.

Volunteer work

Burges was president of the International Irrigation Congress in 1915–16, and from 1921 to 1923 he was president of the Texas Forestry Association. As a member of the American Forestry Association, he promoted the development of Carlsbad Caverns as a national park.

He was a board member of the El Paso Public Library, the Texas Historical Commission and the Texas History and Library Commission.

Publications

"Rare Beauties to the Found in the Wonderful Carlsbad Caverns," El Paso Times, August 26, 1923.