Chief Justice Warren E. Burger (1907-1995) in his chambers at the Supreme Court, undated.  Photo: The Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution.

The Warren E. Burger Collection consists of the lifetime professional papers and memorabilia of the late Chief Justice of the United States, Warren E. Burger (1907-1995), as well as of related acquisitions, collected by the Special Collections Research Center at William & Mary Libraries.

From 1986-1993, Warren E. Burger, one of the most influential legal figures of the 20th century, served as the 20th chancellor of William & Mary. In 1996, Wade A. Burger donated his father’s papers to William & Mary and the university is honored to serve as the permanent home of this immeasurable resource for future historians and legal scholars. The collection is made up of approximately 1,200 cubic feet of papers, 3,500 photographs and more than 300 artifacts. 

NOTE: In accordance with the donor agreement, the Warren E. Burger Papers are closed to researchers until at least 2033.*

* The deed of gift specifies that the papers are to remain closed to researchers until 10 years after the last Justice who served with Warren E. Burger on the Supreme Court has passed away.

Acknowledgements

This site is a recreation of an online exhibit, which was first published by Ute Schechter, Warren E. Burger Archivist, in 2006. Many thanks to Mona Noori-Moghaddam for her work in migrating the content to a more modern format. The current site continues to be updated and maintained by Ute Schechter and all of the images displayed are property of the Special Collections Research Center at William & Mary Libraries.