Howard Burnham

Mather Howard Burnham
Born	Sioux reservation near Mankato, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	May 4, 1917(1917-05-04) (aged 46)
Occupation(s)	Mining engineer, intelligence operative
Known for	Espionage for France during World War I; hiding spying instruments in prosthetic wooden leg

Mather Howard Burnham (May 27, 1870 – May 4, 1917), commonly referred to as Howard, was an American mining engineer and intelligence operative who conducted espionage activities for France during the First World War. He ingeniously hid spying instruments within his prosthetic wooden leg while carrying out missions behind enemy lines.

Early life

Howard Burnham was born on a Sioux reservation close to Mankato, Minnesota. He was named in honor of his cousin, Lieutenant Howard Mather Burnham, a Civil War officer who lost his life at Chickamauga. His father, Reverend Edwin Otway Burnham—a Kentucky frontiersman and missionary—passed away when Howard was just three years old, leaving the family in financial distress. Following this, his mother Rebecca Russell Burnham, originally from England, relocated with Howard to Iowa, while his brother Fred stayed in California to manage the family’s financial obligations.

At age fourteen, after enduring tuberculosis and undergoing an amputation four inches below his knee, Howard returned to Los Angeles. During a two-year convalescence alongside his brother Fred, he acquired scouting skills despite his wooden leg. Demonstrating a strong interest in military strategy, geology, metallurgy, and mining, he explored arid regions ranging from Death Valley to southern California. There he gained hands-on experience from Cahuilla Native Americans and seasoned prospectors.

In 1888, while prospecting near San Jacinto, California’s desert region, Burnham narrowly escaped an armed confrontation with a Native American assailant by fleeing swiftly on horseback.

Burnham pursued studies in mining and intermittently served as a mining engineer at the Alvord gold mine in California—a venture managed by the Burnham-Clapp family alongside partners from Pasadena between 1885 and 1891. He obtained professional certification in mining from Pacific Chemical Works in San Francisco, an assay laboratory directed by Henry Garber Hanks, who was California’s inaugural State Mineralogist.

South Africa and Rhodesia

Following the destruction of the Alvord mine by fire, Burnham remained in California until 1894 to resolve family matters before joining his brother Fred in Bulawayo, Matabeleland. There, he secured employment as a mining engineer responsible for overseeing assay laboratory operations and smelting procedures at the Langlaagte Royal Mine located in the Transvaal region of the South African Republic. In 1895, while preparing for an expedition into Northern Rhodesia alongside his brother, illness compelled him to travel to Europe for recovery. His journey took him first to Germany and subsequently to London with his nephew Roderick. That same year he married his first wife, Margaret. Upon returning to the United States, he enrolled at Michigan Mining School (presently Michigan Technological University) from 1896 until 1898 where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree.

By September 1898, Burnham and his wife had returned to Africa. He was employed by a British syndicate managing more than two thousand miners at the Rosa deep gold mine near Johannesburg. Within the Transvaal region, he held positions as chief chemist, engineer, and assistant inspector of mines. Additionally, he authored the instructional book Modern Mine Valuation.

When hostilities erupted during the Second Boer War in 1899, Burnham initially remained at his post due to his status as an American citizen but sent his wife to British-controlled Cape Town for safety. The Boers took control of the mine and operated it themselves. Burnham traveled to East London to report to syndicate directors but was detained by both British and Boer forces—once suspected of espionage on behalf of the British—until he could verify his American nationality. Throughout this period of detention, he sought financial support from family members. Meanwhile, his brother Fred had been appointed Chief of Scouts for the British Army and was en route to South Africa.

In subsequent years, Burnham divided his time between England and South Africa delivering lectures and publishing works on mining methodologies and financing mining ventures with an emphasis on risk evaluation. On November 18, 1903, in London he wed Constance Newton—a schoolteacher and heiress of Newton, Chambers & Company—whom he had met during their voyage to South Africa. From approximately 1905 through 1908, Burnham held a non-resident fellowship at the Royal Colonial Institute in London.

Mexico

Following his return to North America in 1907, Burnham became involved in the Yaqui River irrigation initiative in Mexico together with his brother Fred. In 1908, he partnered with W. A. Wadham to perform a geological and mining assessment in Sonora on behalf of American and British investors. During this period, they negotiated the acquisition of four properties, including Batue, Mequite, and notably La Fiera, which was regarded as the most promising site. Operations there were overseen by a small team led by John Anderson. In 1909, Burnham and Hector Walker undertook a 300-mile journey from Phoenix, Arizona into Mexico to evaluate grazing territories and mineral deposits. His brother secured water rights along with approximately of land; with advice from John Hays Hammond, they expanded their holdings by an additional , an expanse roughly equivalent to the size of Rhode Island.

The progress of irrigation and mining ventures was interrupted in 1912 by the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution. A critical blow occurred in 1917 when Mexican legislation banned land sales to foreign nationals. The Burnham and Hammond families maintained ownership until 1930, at which point they sold their properties to the Mexican government.

World War I Espionage

During World War I, Burnham contributed his services to French intelligence. In 1914, he was apprehended near Tampico, Mexico on espionage allegations but was released following intervention by U.S. Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan. Subsequently, he traveled to France via Barcelona, Spain and Algiers, Algeria, where he led a delegation aiming to negotiate peace with desert insurgents. After most of his men were lost to a hostile faction and he was taken prisoner, Burnham’s life was spared due to previous aid he had provided to a local clan elder. He managed to return alone to Algiers before continuing on to France.

In 1917, French intelligence assigned Burnham as an undercover agent behind enemy lines to investigate possible German military movements through the Alps. Posing as an American mining engineer afflicted with tuberculosis, he entered Germany through neutral Switzerland. His familiarity with German spa towns and his classified status helped conceal his true mission despite close scrutiny.

Utilizing his engineering expertise, Burnham devised hidden surveying instruments concealed within his wooden leg while traveling to places such as Bad Nauheim. His expensive medical treatments (costing $500 per month in gold) earned him favor at German resorts; however, his mail was monitored and he was frequently accompanied by escorts.

Eventually suffering from severe illness, Burnham returned first to Switzerland and then to Cannes, France. From his deathbed, he provided intelligence confirming that no German offensive in the Alpine region was forthcoming, enabling Allied forces to concentrate on the Western Front. His final appeal emphasized continued support for France. He was buried in Cannes alongside American A. Kingsley Macomber in tribute to French Admiral François Joseph Paul de Grasse’s significant assistance during the American Revolution.

Family

Burnham traced his lineage back to Thomas Burnham (1617–1688) of Hartford, Connecticut, an ancestor distinguished by his family's participation in various American conflicts, including the French and Indian War.

He was the father of four children:

• Frederick Newton Burnham (1904–1959), who was born in Lydenburg, Republic of South Africa and passed away in Hastings, England.
• Thomas Chambers Burnham (1906–2004), born in England and died in Key Largo, Florida.
• Mary Burnham (1909–1987), whose birth and death both occurred in England.
• Katherine "Kitty" Burnham (1911–1999), born in San Francisco, California and deceased in Tormarton, Bath, England.

Biographies

• . Chapter XXXI features M. Howard Burnham.