William Burke

William Burke (baptised 29 June 1729 – 5 March 1798) was an English pamphleteer, official, and politician. He was one of the supposed authors of Junius's Letters.

Early life William Burke, the son of barrister John Burke and only very questionably a kinsman of Edmund Burke, called though "cousin", was born in London. He was admitted to Westminster School in 1743, and elected to Christ Church, Oxford in 1747. He contributed a copy of elegiacs to the university collection on the death of the Prince of Wales in 1751, and took the degree of B.C.L. in 1755. The two kinsmen were travelling companions in 1752, worked together on the Account of the European Settlements in America, which seems to have been written by W. Burke, and joined in befriending Emin the Armenian.

In 1763 Burke appeared as the friend of Ralph Verney, 2nd Earl Verney, and a confidential mediator between him and George Grenville. He was under-secretary to Henry Seymour Conway, the Secretary of State for the Southern Department, and the following year was moved into the northern department. On the downfall of the Rockingham ministry Burke resigned his office, which brought him £1,000 a year. He was pushy and well acquainted with the leaders of the whig party, though generally disliked by them. He lived much with his cousin Edmund, first in Queen Anne Street and afterwards at Gregories.

William Burke survived Edmund, and died in 1798, on the Isle of Man.

Besides the share he had in the European Settlements in America, and the pamphlets on the peace negotiations, from 1764 onwards Burke appears occasionally to have written letters on political matters, chiefly under the signature of "Valens", in the London Evening Post and other papers. Some of these letters are said to have been written in conjunction with Edmund Burke. He also made a translation the address of Jacques-Pierre Brissot to his constituents in 1794, which was submitted to Edmund Burke, who amended it and wrote a preface. Some of Burke's letters are contained in the correspondence of Edmund Burke, and in Barry's works.