Walter Evans Edge

36^th Governor of New Jersey
Walter Evans Edge

In office January 15, 1917 – May 16, 1919
Preceded by	James Fairman Fielder
Succeeded by	Acting Governor William Nelson Runyon
In office January 18, 1944 – January 21, 1947
Preceded by	Charles Edison
Succeeded by	Alfred E. Driscoll
United States Senator, New Jersey (Class 2)
In office March 4, 1919 – November 21, 1929
Preceded by	David Baird
Succeeded by	David Baird, Jr.
United States Ambassador to France
In office 1929 – 1933
Preceded by	Myron T. Herrick
Succeeded by	Jesse I. Strauss

Born	November 20, 1873 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	October 29, 1956 New York City
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Lady Lee Phillips Camilla Loyal Ashe Sewall
Religion	Episcopalian

Walter Evans Edge (November 20, 1873–October 29, 1956) was an American politician. A Republican, he served as a United States Senator representing New Jersey from 1919 to 1929. Edge was twice the Governor of New Jersey, from 1917 to 1919 and again from 1944 to 1947, serving as governor during both World War I and World War II.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Edge moved with his parents to Pleasantville, New Jersey in 1877. After attending public schools, Edge was employed in a printing office in Atlantic City, New Jersey from 1890 to 1894. From 1897 until 1899 he served as journal clerk of the New Jersey Senate, and resigned from that position to be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army during the Spanish-American War. Upon returning from war service, Edge was appointed secretary of the state senate (1901 to 1904).

Edge was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1910, serving only one year before being elected to the New Jersey Senate (1911 to 1916), becoming the senate president in 1915. Edge served as Governor of New Jersey from 1917 to 1919, resigning his position to represent New Jersey in the United States Senate from March 4, 1919, until his resignation on November 21, 1929.

Edge sponsored the Edge Act, a 1919 Amendment to the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, which allowed National Banks (a banking institution chartered by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency) to engage in international banking through federally chartered subsidiaries.

Herbert Hoover appointed Edge as United States Ambassador to France in 1929, serving in that position until 1933. He was elected for a second three-year term as Governor of New Jersey in 1944, serving in office from January 18, 1944 to January 21, 1947. He died in 1956 in New York City and is buried at the Northwood Cemetery in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

Edge was an avid sportsman, who enjoyed hunting quail. After World War I, Edge purchased land in northern Leon County, Florida with his longtime friend, Walter C. Teagle, Chairman of the Board of Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. They named the property Norias Plantation. In 1937 Edge left his interests in Norias and purchased Sunny Hill Plantation.^[1]

Edge's name (as Wally Edge) and likeness have renewed currency as the pseudonym of a prominent anonymous New Jersey political columnist.

[edit] References

^ Paisley, Clifton, From Cotton To Quail: An Agricultural Chronicle of Leon County, Florida, 1860-1967, University of Florida Press, 1968. ISBN 13: 978-0-8130-0718-2 pp. 91-92

Preceded by James Fairman Fielder	Governor of New Jersey First Term January 15, 1917 – May 16, 1919	Succeeded by William Nelson Runyon (Acting Governor)
Preceded by David Baird	U.S. Senator (Class 2) from New Jersey March 4, 1919 – November 21, 1929	Succeeded by David Baird, Jr.
Preceded by Myron T. Herrick	United States Ambassador to France 1929–1933	Succeeded by Jesse I. Strauss
Preceded by Charles Edison	Governor of New Jersey Second Term January 18, 1944 – January 21, 1947	Succeeded by Alfred E. Driscoll (the first Governor under the 1947 constitution)

v • d • e Governors of New Jersey

Livingston • Paterson • Howell • Bloomfield • Ogden • W.S. Pennington • M. Dickerson • Williamson • Vroom • Southard • Seeley • P. Dickerson • W. Pennington • Haines • Stratton • Fort • Price • Newell • Olden • Parker • Ward • Randolph • Bedle • McClellan • Ludlow • Abbett • Green • Werts • Griggs • Voorhees • Murphy • Stokes • Fort • Wilson • Fielder • Edge • Edwards • Silzer • Moore • Larson • Hoffman • Edison • Driscoll • Meyner • Hughes • Cahill • Byrne • Kean • Florio • Whitman • DiFrancesco • McGreevey • Codey • Corzine

v • d • e United States Senators from New Jersey

Class 1: Elmer • Rutherfurd • Davenport • Schureman • Ogden • Condit • Lambert • Wilson • Southard • McIlvaine • Bateman • Dickerson • Southard • W. Dayton • R. Stockton • Thomson • Field • J. Wall • Wright • F. T. Frelinghuysen • J. Stockton • Randolph • Sewell • Blodgett • J. Smith • J. Kean • Martine • J. Frelinghuysen • Edwards • H. Kean • Moore • Milton • Barbour • Walsh • H. Smith • Williams • Brady • Lautenberg • Corzine • Menendez Class 2: Paterson • Dickinson • F. Frelinghuysen • Richard Stockton • J. Dayton • Kitchell • Condit • Dickerson • T. Frelinghuysen • G. Wall • Miller • Wright • Ten Eyck • J. Stockton • Catell • F. T. Frelinghuysen • McPherson • Sewell • Dryden • Briggs • Hughes • Baird • Edge • Baird, Jr. • Morrow • Barbour • Smathers • Hawkes • Hendrickson • Case • Bradley • Torricelli • Lautenberg