Burlingame, Ward, journalist and for many years chief clerk of the dead letter division of the United States postoffice department, was born at Gloversville, N. Y., Feb. 6, 1836. He received his education in the public schools of his native town and later attended the academy at Kingsboro, N. Y. Early in 1858 he located at Leavenworth, Kan. Mr. Burlingame's first newspaper experience was on a daily paper called the Ledger, edited by George W. McLane. Later he assisted at the birth of the Leavenworth Daily Herald, which was established in connection with the weekly edition, and while on this paper he occupied nearly all the places offered by such a printing establishment, from distributing the papers among the local subscribers, to writing editorials. Subsequently he worked on the Times and Evening Bulletin. After the election of 1862 Gov. Carney invited him to become his private secretary and he went to Topeka. In Jan., 1866, Mr. Burlingame went to Washington, D. C., 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, owned at that time by M. H. Insley. During Gov. Crawford's second term Mr. Burlingame served as his private secretary, and he continued to hold the same position during the first administration of Gov. 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 Gov. 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 Feb. 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 Dec. 3, 1908.