Education
Born in Lurgan, Burns studied at Renshaw"s College in Belfast.
Born in Lurgan, Burns studied at Renshaw"s College in Belfast.
He moved to Canada, where he worked in a bank, then to South Africa, where he was employed in construction. He later lived near Donaghadee and worked as the director of various property management companies. He was elected to the executive of the United Ulster Loyalist Council, and became active in the Democratic Unionist Party.
At the Northern Ireland Assembly election, 1973, he was elected in Belfast South, and he narrowly held the seat on the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention, in 1975.
1st Northern Ireland Assembly (1973–1974)]
In his spare time, Burns was an enthusiastic yachtsman and was a member of the World Christian Endeavour Choir.