DANIEL W. BURCHARD

Bio-Pen Pictures
SURNAMES: McCOMAS, TWOMBLY
Holding a prominent and important position among the public officers of this county, is Mr. Daniel W. Burchard, attorney at law and assistant district attorney. His father was the Rev. John L. Burchard, for ten years a member of the Missouri Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. While he was stationed in Benton County, Missouri, on March 5, 1858, the subject of this sketch was born, and came with his parents to California in the same year. His father was located first at Marysville, remaining there four years, and afterwards for six years in Stockton. In 1868 he was sent to Gilroy, where Daniel attended school. After a four years’ residence here, his father returned to Marysville, when he was appointed Indian agent at Round Valley. In 1872 the family removed to Oakland, in order to afford the children better educational advantages. After passing through the schools of Oakland, Daniel went up to the reservation, where he taught school and studied law. In 1879 and 1880 he studied law in the office of Henley & Johnson, of Santa Rosa, the senior member of that firm being Hon. Barclay Henley, late member of Congress from First District. Mr. Johnson is now attorney-general for the State.

Mr. Burchard was admitted to the Bar nine days only after attaining his majority, and first “hung out his shingle” in Washington Territory. He remained there but a short time, when he returned to California, and for three years practiced law in Hollister, serving one year as city attorney. Removing to San Jose, he entered into partnership with Moore & Moore, and on the election of Howell Moore to the office of district attorney he was appointed deputy.

Mr. Burchard is a hard worker, as can be gathered from the fact that he has appeared in fifteen hundred cases since he began practice, six hundred of them being criminal cases. It is noteworthy, also, that, although so young a man, he has been connected with many cases involving heavy interests. Among these may be noted the congressional election contest of Sullivan versus Felton; the senatorial contest of Ryland versus Conklin; a number of homicide criminal cases in which the final penalty was inflicted, and others.

On March 6, 1881, Mr. Burchard was married to Miss Cora, the eldest daughter of Hon. Rush McCOMAS, the county treasurer. They have four children: Marcie, Mary, Ernest, and Ethel.

Mr. Burchard’s family is of Scotch and German extraction, and is fully represented in professional and intellectual pursuits. His father is a thoroughly self-made man, educating himself for the ministry by his own efforts, and passing his life in the service of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His mother is a native of Virginia, a descendant of the pioneers who first settled in that State. His only brother is Dr. L. S. Burchard, of Oakland, and his only sister is the wife of C. H. Twombly, the San Francisco capitalist.
Pen Pictures From The Garden of the World or Santa Clara County, California, Illustrated. - Edited by H. S. Foote.- Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1888. p. 96
Transcribed by Kathy Sedler