Beginnings

After serving with the Canadian Army in World War 2, Maurice and his new family relocated to California in the early 1950’s. He quickly settled into the furniture business as a salesman for Herman Miller, before starting his first venture Felmore in 1952. While moderately successful at first, it’s largely traditional wooden furniture failed to stand out in the post war landscape. By 1958 the business was shuttered, and the family relocated to Dallas Texas.

Undeterred by Felmore’s failure, Maurice turned in a radically different direction for his next company: Burke Inc. Initially serving as both a manufacturer for the first iteration of Pedestal chairs and tables, as well as a reseller of Madison Woodworking and London Lamps. The combination of space-age designs and a diversity of products would quickly prove to be a winning formula.

Success and Growth

By 1959 Burke Inc. had strongly established itself as an up-and-comer in the American furniture industry. However, that success would lead to conflict with another company over their flagship product. Knoll, manufacturers of Eero Saarinen’s iconic Tulip chairs took Maurice and his fledgling company to court over potential copyright infringement. While the case would eventually settle out of court, the result was that the Burke Inc. Pedestal chairs would have to change. However, this would ultimately prove a positive outcome for Maurice and the company, as the newly redesigned Star collection quickly established its own presence in the market as a stylish (and arguably better engineered) alternative to Knoll.

The next 4 years saw Burke Inc. grow rapidly in both products and success. Along with variations of the basic Star, such as the Lundquist, Estaban, the versatile Bjorgensen and various Barstools, and the office oriented Reineman. Soon Burke Inc. had showrooms in every major American city, stocked exclusively with their own product ranges, and selling strongly to both commercial and private customers.

This can be attributed to two main factors: the aesthetic appeal of the Burke ranges themselves, and the quality of their engineering. Innovative use of a heavy-duty return spring in the Star and its cousins meant that Burke chairs were built tougher than many alternatives on the market. For products like bar stools and public dining seating, this was an especially appealing feature. And the variety of ranges and iterations on the original Star ensured that there was a Burke product for every taste, as well as every need.

Burke Inc. continued its steady rise to prominence until 1963, when a sudden change would mark a new fork in the Burke furniture legacy.

Sale to Brunswick

In 1963, to the surprise of many observers, Maurice Burke sold Burke Inc. to the Brunswick company. Who approached who is unknown, but Brunswick saw the acquisition of Burke Inc. as a perfect way to break into new markets, as well as improve their existing product ranges. Known at the time exclusively as a bowling alley and school furniture supplier, Brunswick saw the style and engineering of the Burke Star range as the perfect space-age upgrade for their bowling furniture. Likewise, Burke Inc.’s presence in the domestic, restaurant, and office markets would catapult Brunswick straight into prominence outside it’s traditional market share.

As for Maurice, this was the first - and in many ways most dramatic - example of a pattern of restlessness that typified his business career. Never one to stay too long in one place, Maurice took the opportunity of the sale to detach himself not just from Burke Inc., but North America in general. In the same year, he and the family relocated to the UK, before later settling in Switzerland, and kicking off his period of international jet-setting.

Post Maurice History

Burke Inc. continued unmodified under Brunswick’s management, rebranding to Burke-Brunswick a year after the acquisition, and continuing to sell all the original Maurice designed ranges with no major changes or additions. Burke products continued to appear throughout the furniture landscape of America, and in 1966 made a prominent leap into space aboard the original Star Trek set for the USS Enterprise (with some 23rd century modifications). In 1968 Brunswick merged Burke with the bank supply company Acton to become Burke Acton. Only a year later it would again change hands and form the basis of a new, multi designer conglomerate Vecta Contract.

Perhaps appropriately, this new company would soon welcome back it’s own fore bearer for his return to the American furniture landscape, as well as welcoming the next generation of Burke designers.

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