Ward Burlingame, during the twenty years of his activities in Kansas, a well known journalist of Leavenworth and a confidential secretary to several noted men of the commonwealth, while over a quarter of a century of his life was devoted to the national postal service, ten years as chief clerk of the dead letter division. He was born at Gloversville, New York, February 6, 1836, and received a public school and academic education prior to locating at Leavenworth in 1858. Mr. Burlingame’s first newspaper experience was on a daily paper called the Ledger, edited by George W. McLane. Later he assisted in founding the Leavenworth Daily Herald, which was established in connection with the weekly edition, and while on this paper he ran the gauntlet of every position on the staff. Subsequently he worked on the Times and Evening Bulletin. After the election of 1862 Governor Carney invited him to become his private secretary and he went to Topeka. In January, 1866, Mr. Burlingame became a resident of Washington, District of Columbia, as confidential secretary to James H. Lane, then United States senator from Kansas, and remained with him during the spring of that year. On his return to Kansas he was given editorial charge of the Leavenworth Conservative, but during Governor Crawford’s second term served as his private secretary, and he continued to hold the same position during the first administration of Governor Harvey and until February of the second term, when he resigned to accept the position of private secretary to Alexander Caldwell, who had been elected United States senator. He was also private secretary to Governor Osborn during his second term, at the expiration of which he became Senator Plumb’s private secretary, and also acted as Washington correspondent for the Atchison Champion. Mr. Burlingame’s newspaper service in Kansas ended with his editorship of the Topeka Commonwealth, of which he was one of the founders. On February 1, 1880, he was appointed to a clerical position in the dead letter division of the postoffice department, and was promoted to that of chief clerk, which position he held for over ten years. In 1907 he resigned his position because of failing health and returned to Topeka, where he died on December 3, 1908.
