Thomas William Burgess (15 June 1872 – 2 July 1950) was the second person to successfully complete a swim of the English Channel after Matthew Webb., after 16 attempts.

[2] On 8 August 1893 Burgess married Anne Rosalie Mioux, a French woman, in Neuilly-Sur-Seine in Paris, and lived with her, running a motor business in Levallois-Perret.

Burgess competed in swimming and water polo at the 1900 Olympics held in Paris and won a bronze medal playing for the French team despite his British nationality, which was allowed by the rules at that time.

"[6] In the 1920s Burgess was hired by the Olympian gold medalist and world record holder Gertrude Ederle, who in 1926, under his guidance, became the first woman to cross the English Channel.

[8] Some authors suggest that Burgess is the inspiration for the Portuguese word "Burgesso",[9][10] a descriptor for people which is used to mean short, heavy and ungainly, or poorly educated, ignorant and rude.