Burke, Ellen Coolidge, 1901-1975

Burke was born in Alexandria, Virginia, to Henry Randolph Burke, and Rosella Gordon Trist. Burke's family was descended from Thomas Jefferson. She gained her BA and MA at the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. She worked in the Alexandria Library for nearly a decade as cataloger and reference librarian, becoming director from 1948, until she retired in June 1969. Burke brought bookmobile services to Alexandria, one of the first in Virginia. She oversaw the growth of the library system by the addition of two new branch libraries: the Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch in 1968 and the James M. Duncan branch in 1969.Burke belonged to a number of professional library associations and was an active member of the League of Women Voters and of the Urban League, as well as other civic groups.

Ellen Coolidge Burke died on December 29, 1975, and is buried at Ivy Hill Cemetery, Alexandria.