Willis Bates Burns (May 28, 1851 – August 15, 1915) was an American businessman and politician from New York.
In 1882, he founded the manufacturing business Syracuse Malleable Iron Works, serving as its proprietor and sole owner.
[2] In 1889, Burns was elected to the New York State Assembly as a Republican, representing the Onondaga County 2nd District.
[3] In the Assembly, he helped secure passage of a bill that granted Syracuse the right to take water from Skaneateles Lake.
[1] Burns was a member of the Freemasons, the Masonic Veterans Association of Central New York, the Knights Templar, the Scottish Rite, the Shriners, and the Elks.