| Birth Name: | John Richard Burke |
| Birth Date: | 7 December 1924 |
| Birth Place: | Madison, Wisconsin, US |
| Death Place: | Arlington, Virginia, US |
| Resting Place: | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Residence: | Arlington, Virginia |
| Occupation: | United States Ambassador |
| Spouse: | Amelie Cecillion Burke |
| Ambassador From: | United States |
| Country: | Guyana |
| Term Start: | September 30, 1977 |
| Term End: | September 29, 1979 |
| Predecessor: | Max V. Krebs |
| Successor: | George B. Roberts Jr. |
| President: | Jimmy Carter |
John Richard Burke (December 7, 1924 – August 7, 1993)[1] was a Foreign Service officer and the United States Ambassador to Guyana during the Jonestown Massacre.[2]
Born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1924, Burke was a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy during World War II. He also served during the Korean War.[2]
After his Korean service, he earned a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Burke was the Ambassador to Guyana from September 30, 1977, to September 22, 1979.[3] [4]
Burke died of a heart attack on August 7, 1993, at his home in Arlington, Virginia.[2] His ashes were interred at Arlington National Cemetery.[5]