Thomas Henry Burke (civil servant)

Thomas H. Burke
Under-Secretary for Ireland
In office 1869 (1869)–1882 (1882)
Preceded by	Sir Edward Robert Wetherall
Succeeded by	Robert George Crookshank Hamilton
Personal details
Born	Thomas Henry Burke (1829-05-29)29 May 1829
Died	6 May 1882(1882-05-06) (aged 52) Phoenix Park, Dublin
Resting place	Prospect Cemetery, Glasnevin
Nationality	Irish
Parents	William Burke Emma Dillon
Relatives	Sir Theobald Burke (brother) Augustus Nicholas Burke (brother)
Occupation	Civil Servant
Known for	Phoenix Park Murders

Thomas Henry Burke (29 May 1829 – 6 May 1882) was an Irish civil servant who served as Permanent Under Secretary at the Irish Office for many years before being assassinated during the Phoenix Park Murders on Saturday 6 May 1882. The assassination was carried out by an Irish republican organisation known as the Irish National Invincibles.

The newly appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland, Lord Frederick Cavendish, although not the intended victim, was assassinated alongside him while they walked through Phoenix Park in Dublin. The victims were stabbed in the neck and chest with surgical blades.

Burke was the Invincibles' intended target because he had been working for the Dublin Castle administration as head of the Civil Service for many years and was a supporter of the Irish Coercion Acts during the Land War.^[1] Irish nationalists referred to Burke as the "Castle rat".