Walter Burnett Jr. (born August 16, 1963) is a Chicago political veteran who held down the city's 27th Ward from 1995 to 2025. His turf stretched across the West Loop, Greektown, East Garfield Park, Near North Side, Old Town, West Humboldt Park, West Town, Goose Island, and the Illinois Medical District. From 2023 to 2025, he stepped into another major role as vice mayor of Chicago.
Walter Burnett Jr. entered the world on August 16, 1963, at Cook County Hospital in the Illinois Medical District. But his road was anything but smooth. He served two years behind bars for his role in an armed bank robbery in Kankakee. Burnett had agreed to drive two friends there; they robbed the Momence Federal Savings and Loan of $3,000. The situation spiraled when the trio stopped at a convenience store, stole a car, and kidnapped its driver at gunpoint.
Burnett rebuilt his life through public service, putting in 11 years with Cook County government and working a range of jobs along the way. One of the most important was serving as special assistant to Jesse White, then the Cook County Recorder of Deeds. Burnett later joined White's campaign for Illinois secretary of state. By 2023, Gregory Hinz of Crain's Chicago Business described Burnett as White's protégé—a sign of the political foundation he built before making his own name in Chicago.