Edward August Rath (April 17, 1907 – October 28, 1968) was an American politician who served as the first county executive of Erie County, New York.

Career

Following the transition from the board of supervisors form of government for Erie County to a County Executive form, Rath was elected in 1960 to an initial three-year term. The Edward A. Rath County Office Building, is named in his honor. Rath was re-elected as County Executive in 1963 and 1967. He died in office in 1968 and was succeeded by Sheriff

B. John Tutuska B. John Tutuska (December 4, 1911 – July 30, 1993) was the second county executive in Erie County, New York, serving from 1969 to 1971. The Depew, New York-born Tutuska succeeded Edward C. Rath in 1969 after Rath died in office. Prior t ...

Personal life

Rath was the patriarch of a prominent Western New York political family. His son, Edward A. Rath, Jr. (1930-2003), served as a justice of the New York State Supreme Court and his daughter-in-law,

Mary Lou Rath Mary Lou Rath (née Schmitt) (born June 17, 1934) is an American politician who served as a member of New York State Senate from 1993 to 2008. A Republican, she represented the state's 61st district, which consisted of parts of Erie County and ...

was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

and a former minority leader of the Erie County Legislature. His grandson,

Edward Rath III Edward August Rath III is an American politician who served as a member of the New York State Senate from the 61st district. Elected in November 2020, he assumed office on January 6, 2021. Early life and education Rath was born in Amherst, N ...

, is a member of the

References

Politicians from Buffalo, New York New York (state) Republicans Erie County Executives 1968 deaths 1907 births 20th-century American politicians {{NewYork-politician-stub