Fred Thomas Burks (May 22, 1940 – October 19, 1998) was a farmer and Democratic Party politician in Tennessee, United States.

He was very conservative even by Tennessee Democratic standards of the time, opposing the teaching of evolution in school science classes (twice introducing legislation to restrict its teaching), legal abortion, gambling, and a state lottery.

An eyewitness to the murder helped seal the conviction of Looper, who was, at the time, Putnam County tax assessor.

Burks' widow, Charlotte, ran for his seat and won, becoming the first Tennessee state senator and one of very few American politicians to win as a write-in candidate.

Interstate 40 through Wilson, Smith, Putnam, and Cumberland Counties is named the Tommy Burks Memorial Highway.