Burger was born on September 17, 1907 in Saint Paul, Minnesota and studied at the University of Minnesota and at William Mitchell College of Law. He was married to Elvera Stromberg from 1933 until her death in 1994. They had 2 children, Wade Allen Burger and Margaret Elizabeth Burger. Burger died on June 25, 1995 in Washington, D.C. from heart failure and was buried at the Arlington National Cemetery, aged 87.