Burton was born in Lewes, Delaware. His mother was Ruth Hunn Rodney. He attended St. Peter's Academy at Lewes, taught for two years in the schools in Sussex County, and engaged in the dry goods business in Washington, D.C., from 1862 until 1865. Burton graduated from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1868 and practiced medicine in Frankford, Delaware, from 1868 until 1872, when he moved back to Lewes.
Professional and political career
From 1877 until 1888, Burton was the deputy collector of customs for the port of Lewes and was acting assistant surgeon in the Marine Hospital Service from 1890 until 1893. He ran unsuccessfully for the State Senate in 1898 and served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1896, 1900, and 1908.
Burton was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1904 and was reelected in 1906. During these terms, he served in the Republican majority in the 59th and 60th Congress, during the administration of President Theodore Roosevelt. He sought reelection in 1908 but lost his party's nomination to lawyer William H. Heald, who went on to win the general election and serve in Congress. Burton served two terms, from March 4, 1905, until March 3, 1909. After departing office, he resumed the practice of medicine in Lewes.
Carter, Richard B. (2001). Clearing New Ground, The Life of John G. Townsend, Jr. Wilmington, Delaware: The Delaware Heritage Press. ISBN0-924117-20-6.
