He was graduated from St. Mark's School, Southboro, Massachusetts, which had been founded by his father Joseph Burnett in 1867 and from Harvard University in 1871.

[1] He was an early member of the Tavern Club founded mostly by fellow Harvard alumni.

He served as general manager of Florham Farm the property of Hamilton McKown Twombly and Florence Adele Vanderbilt Twombly in what is now Florham Park, near Madison, New Jersey from 1892 to 1900.

He became engaged as a farm architect in New York City from 1900 to 1925, for a short time in partnership with Alfred Hopkins.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress