[4] On November 20, 1943, Burbridge married Marion Catherine Smith at St George's Church in Ottawa West.
[5] During World War II, Burbridge was a legal adviser in the Civil Service of Canada.
In 1954, he was appointed Canadian deputy permanent representative to the North Atlantic Council and the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation in Paris.
[1][6] Burbridge was named as the Canadian high commissioner to New Zealand in November 1962, and took up the post in March 1963.
[7][8] In January 1967, shortly before relinquishing the role of high commissioner, Burbridge presented a trophy, the Canada Cup, to the Wellington Ice Hockey League, to be contested annually among senior teams in the league.