Münden in Germany,[1] Burgman completed an apprenticeship in Hamburg, where he joined Ferdinand Lassalle's General German Workers' Association.
In 1881, he was elected to represent the Pacific Coast states at the founding conference of the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions (FOTLU).
[2][3] In 1882, Burgman was the co-founder of the Pacific Coast Division of the International Workingmen's Association, and from 1883 to 1885, he was the business manager of Truth, a socialist newspaper published by Burnette Haskell.
He joined the Improved Order of Red Men, becoming its state grand secretary, and editor from 1893 to 1899 of its newspaper, Insignia.
[4] In 1899, Burgman moved to Seabreeze, Florida, where he became editor of Freedom, a newspaper on the subject of mental health, which was owned by his mother-in-law.