Burnside, Maurice Gwinn, 1902-1991

Maurice Gwinn Burnside (b. 1902), political science professor, West Virginia Democratic congressman, and tobacco warehouse executive, spent a lifetime studying international affairs. As a young man following graduate studies at the University of Texas, he worked and traveled in Europe and Asia for three years and was instrumental in organizing International Clubs at colleges and universities throughout the Southwestern United States. In 1940 he settled in Huntington, West Virginia, and taught political science at Marshall College until 1948, serving as department head from 1941-1945.

Following his tenure at Marshall College, he served three terms in Congress and worked briefly at the National Security Agency in Washington, D. C. He was a member of the committees on Public Works and the Post Office, Civil Service, and Expenditures in the Executive Department, and served on the United States-Philippine War Damage Commission (1949).

His post-congressional years were spent lobbying for various environmental groups, farmers, small businesses, and educational organizations. He also participated in the management of the Tri-State Tobacco Warehouse in Huntington.