RIP: Martin “Bo” Burke. One term in the House. One law that continues to inspire free nations

Martin “Bo” Burke has departed this world at 83 years old. We are all in his debt.

The Vernon Democrat may have been the most consequential one-term legislator to serve in the state House of Representatives. In 1975, Bo was the driving force behind the drafting and passage of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). He was a freshman from Vernon, winning the 56th House District in the 1974 Watergate election that saw Democrats win 118 of the lower chamber’s 151 seats.

Ella Grasso, also elected in 1974, brought a reforming spirit to the governor’s office. She had served three terms as secretary of the state (1959-1971) and was a natural ally of open government supporters, including the freshman from Vernon.

For nearly 50 years, Bo has been recognized as the author of the FOIA. The legislature was thinly staffed in 1975 compared to what it has become. A lawmaker had to immerse himself in the task of drawing legislation, especially a bill creating new rights and the mechanism to enforce them. Bo Burke, a master of details, met his moment. Grasso signed the bill during the first year in office. It was among her most enduring accomplishments.

Requiring most local and state government public meetings to be open to the public was not Connecticut’s tradition–or that of any other state. Access to government documents was limited–often at the sufferance of appointed and elected public officials.

Bo Burke changed that 49 years ago. Connecticut’s FOIA, the first and most sweeping of its kind, became a model for the nation and then, as freedom defeated servitude with the fall of the Soviet Union, an inspiration and guide to hundreds of millions of people around the world as they sought to secure their freedom under the rule of law. Connecticut’s law showed them the way forward.

Bo declined to seek a second term in 1976 because the legislature can be difficult to balance with a law practice and life with a young family.

Politicians can spend decades in elected office and never do more than dutifully cast roll call votes and raise money. Few in their first of two years in office craft, guide, and see signed into law legislation that becomes an indispensable to creating and sustaining free societies in a modern world.

Bo’s interest in the FOIA never diminished. He would often contact journalists to discuss attempts by governors and legislators to weaken the public’s right to know how government conducted its business. His knowledge encompassed not only the spirit of the law but also its fluid details. His passion for its purpose and dismay at the attacks it stirred among a string of hostile governors and legislators never flagged.

A decade after Bo left office, voters of the 56th House District elected Joe Courtney to represent them. He served for four terms and decided not to seek a fifth in 1994. Twelve years later, Bo was delighted when his friend and colleague in overseeing Vernon’s legal affairs was elected to Congress from the state’s 2nd District.

Later this month, Joe Courtney will introduce a tribute to Martin “Bo” Burke into the Congressional Record.

Published February 14, 2024.