Walter Evans Edge
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Walter Evans Edge (November 20, 1873October 29, 1956) was an American diplomat and
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
politician who served as the 36th
governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...
, from 1917 to 1919 and again from 1944 to 1947, during both
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Edge also served as
United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
representing
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
from 1919 to 1929 and as United States Ambassador to France from 1929 to 1933.


Early life

Edge was born in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, on November 20, 1873. His father, William Edge, worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad. His mother Mary (Evans) Edge, died when he was two years old.Mahoney, Joseph F., "Walter Evans Edge", in ''The Governors of New Jersey, 1664–1974'', edited by Paul A Stellhorn and Michael J. Belkner, New Jersey Historical Commission, Trenton, NJ 1982 At the age of four Edge moved to
Pleasantville, New Jersey Pleasantville is a city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 20,629, which was an increase of 380 from the 2010 census count of 20,249, which reflected an increase of 1,237 ...
, where the family of his stepmother, Wilhelmina (Scull) Edge, operated a small hotel. His formal education went only as far as the eighth grade in a two-room public school in Pleasantville.Edge, Water Evans, ''A Jerseyman's Journal'', Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press 1948 As a youth, Edge demonstrated a desire to succeed in business and he acquired an interest in politics. At the age of ten, he and another boy started a four-page weekly newspaper devoted to social news, the ''Pleasantville Bladder'', which had a circulation of approximately one hundred. Edge also attended Pleasantville Republican party rallies and later recounted that he came away from these events feeling great excitement and a growing determination to someday participate in politics himself.


Business career

In 1888, at the age of fourteen, Edge began working for the ''Atlantic Review'', then Atlantic City's only newspaper, providing it with news and social notes pertaining to Pleasantville and nearby communities. Later in 1888, Edge took another job with the newspaper, serving primarily as a
printer's devil A printer's devil was a young apprentice in a printing establishment who performed a number of tasks, such as mixing tubs of ink and fetching type. Notable writers including Ambrose Bierce, Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, and Mark Twain served ...
and performing a wide variety of other jobs as well. Edge's position at the ''Atlantic Review'' introduced him to many of the hotel owners and businessmen in rapidly growing Atlantic City. Edge moved from Pleasantville to Atlantic City the same year.''Atlantic City and County'', Alfred M. Slocum Co., Philadelphia, 1899, p. lx. At the age of sixteen, Edge took a part-time job with John M. Dorland, who operated an Atlantic City advertising business. Dorland solicited advertising from Atlantic City hotels for Philadelphia and New York newspapers. Dorland was in poor health when Edge joined him and within a few months, Edge was running the business. When Dorland died less than one year later, his widow sold the business to Edge, who was then seventeen years old, for $500. Edge financed the purchase with a note that a hotel owner agreed to co-sign for him. Under Edge's management, the Dorland Agency grew into multimillion-dollar advertising agency, with offices in numerous cities in the United States and Europe. In 1893 Edge founded the ''Atlantic City Guest'', a summer newspaper devoted to the activities of the resort's vacationers. The success of the paper led Edge to start a similar paper in Jacksonville, Florida, during the winter of 1894–1895. On March 4, 1895 Edge established the ''Atlantic City Daily Press'' (now the ''
Press of Atlantic City ''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The newspaper designated market runs from Ware ...
'') as the successor to the ''Atlantic City Guest'', which eventually became the Atlantic City area's dominant newspaper. Edge's income from the ''Press'' soon exceeded $20,000 annually. In 1905, Edge purchased the competing ''Evening Union'', also based in Atlantic City. He sold both newspapers in 1919 to three employees: Albert J. Feyl, Paul J. O'Neill, and Francis E. Croasdale.


Political career


Early political career

Edge's successful advertising and publishing businesses made him very wealthy. From the beginning, his ultimate goal was to use his success in business to build a political career and to devote his primary attention to politics after he had attained financial security. In 1894, Edge was elected to the executive committee of the Atlantic City Republican Party. From 1897 until 1899 he served as journal clerk of the
New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...
, a position that enabled him to meet state political figures and learn parliamentary procedures. In the 1890s Edge was a sergeant with the Morris Guards, a private military organization based in Atlantic City, and when the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...
began in 1898, he volunteered the company for service in the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
. He was commissioned as a
second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
in the Army during the war and served for a few months, but did not leave the United States. Between 1901 and 1904, Edge was appointed secretary of the state senate, another position that enabled him to cultivate relationships with state legislators. Edge was a
presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...
in
1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...
. In 1904, Edge ran as a reformer in the Republican primary for the Atlantic County state senate seat occupied by incumbent Edward S. Lee. Edge used his ''Atlantic City Daily Press'' to promote his candidacy against Lee, who was supported by the established local Republican machine. Edge lost to Lee. After his defeat, Edge's ''Daily Press'' became a faithful supporter of the local Republican organization,Paulsson, Martin, ''The Social Anxieties of Progressive Reform – Atlantic City'', 1854–1920, New York, New York University Press 1994, pp. ?? and in 1909 he was elected to the
New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for ...
. In 1910, Edge was elected to the
New Jersey Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...
where he served for two terms, becoming the senate president in 1915. Although Edge served in the state legislature during the height of the
Progressive Era The Progressive Era (late 1890s – late 1910s) was a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States focused on defeating corruption, monopoly, waste and inefficiency. The main themes ended during Am ...
, he tended to take moderate positions and was not considered a reformer. He supported the Republican leadership, although he did cooperate with reformers when their efforts appeared sure of success. Early in his legislative career, Edge worked extensively in developing a
workers' compensation Workers' compensation or workers' comp is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her emp ...
law for New Jersey, even traveling to Europe to study compensation systems there. The workers' compensation bill that he sponsored was passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
. He also promoted legislation calling for a ten-hour day for women workers and safety laws protecting factory workers. He gained a reputation for concern with economic matters and the efficiency of state government.


Governor of New Jersey, 1917–1919

In early 1916 Edge announced his candidacy for governor. Edge's opponent for the Republican nomination was Austen Colgate. Edge's campaign manager,
Enoch "Nucky" Johnson Enoch Lewis "Nucky" Johnson (January 20, 1883December 9, 1968) was an Atlantic City, New Jersey, political boss, a sheriff of Atlantic County, New Jersey, a businessman and a crime boss who was the leader of the political machine that control ...
, the boss of the Atlantic County Republican machine, and
Frank Hague Frank Hague (January 17, 1876 – January 1, 1956) was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who served as the Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey from 1917 to 1947, Democratic National Committeeman from New Jerse ...
, boss of the Hudson County Democratic machine, are widely credited with securing Edge's election as governor. Johnson reached out to Hague, who feared the Democratic candidate, H. Otto Wittpenn, a reformer whose election would threaten Hague's control of Hudson County.Johnson, Nelson. ''Boardwalk Empire'', Medford, N.J., Plexus Publishing, 2002 , pp.??McKean, Dayton David, ''The Boss: The Hague Machine In Action'', Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1940, pp. ?? It is unclear whether Edge and Hague reached some agreement in exchange for Hague's assistance, with one authority concluding there was " obably no outright deal", another stating Edge provided Hague with "a pledge of cooperation", and a third stating that Edge "had a working arrangement with Hague; the former to be left alone in South Jersey and Hague to be 'protected' in Hudson".Grundy, J. Owen
Before 1949: Thirty Years War on Hagueism
Get NJ, 2003.
In any event, Hague instructed those in his Democratic organization to crossover and vote for Edge in the Republican primary, thereby securing Edge a narrow victory. Thereafter, Hague did not support Wittpenn in the general election, and Edge was elected on a platform of making government more effective and efficient with the slogan "A Business Man with a Business Plan". As governor, Edge obtained legislation consolidating state boards, improving the civil service, imposing a franchise tax on public utilities, allowing greater home rule for cities, reforming corporation law, and improving state institutions, especially the prisons.''Scannell's New Jersey's First Citizens, 1917–1918'', vol. 1, Ed. by William E. Sackett, J.J. Scannell, Paterson, NJ 1917, p. 140. In 1917 the legislature also agreed to Edge's proposal to reorganize the state road department, and Edge won approval for legislation authorizing the construction of a bridge between southern New Jersey and Philadelphia and a tunnel between northern New Jersey and New York City. The bridge had been sought for some time by South Jersey legislators, but had failed to gain the support of North Jersey legislators, who opposed spending state funds on a project that they felt would benefit only the southern part of the state. Edge therefore combined the bridge proposal with plans for a tunnel to New York to win statewide support. The bridge, the
Benjamin Franklin Bridge The Benjamin Franklin Bridge, originally named the Delaware River Bridge and known locally as the Ben Franklin Bridge, is a suspension bridge across the Delaware River connecting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey. Owned and ...
, which spans the Delaware River between Camden and Philadelphia, opened in 1926, and the tunnel, the
Holland Tunnel The Holland Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel under the Hudson River that connects the New York City neighborhood of Hudson Square in Lower Manhattan to the east with Jersey City in New Jersey to the west. The tunnel is operated by the Port Author ...
, which connects Jersey City and lower Manhattan, opened in 1927. It has been contended that the decision to place the terminus of the tunnel in Jersey City was the result of Frank Hague's support of Edge in the 1916 gubernatorial election. A considerable part of Edge's efforts as governor involved the mobilization for World War I and postwar planning.


United States Senator, 1919–1929

In 1918 Edge was elected to the United States Senate, defeating George L. Record and Edward W. Gray in the Republican primary and Democratic candidate George W. La Monte in the general election. Although the term to which he had been elected began on March 4, 1919, the Senate was in recess at that time. In order to attend to remaining gubernatorial business, Edge did not resign as governor until May 16, 1919, and was sworn in as senator three days later. The most important and controversial vote held by the Senate during Edge's term involved the
Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
, the ratification of which would have allowed the United States to join the
League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
. As a member of the
moderate wing of the Republican Party The Republican Party in the United States includes several factions, or wings. During the 19th century, Republican factions included the Half-Breeds, who supported civil service reform; the Radical Republicans, who advocated the immediate and t ...
, Edge was a "mild reservationist" on the question. Although he appears to have genuinely wanted the United States to enter the League of Nations, he believed that reservations to the treaty were needed both to protect national sovereignty and to secure the votes needed for ratification by the Senate. In November 1919 and again in March 1920, he voted to ratify the treaty with the
Lodge Reservations The Lodge Reservations, written by United States Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, the Republican Majority Leader and Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations, were fourteen reservations to the Treaty of Versailles and other proposed post-war agreem ...
. Continuing his efforts to apply business management principles to government, in 1919 Edge introduced a joint resolution that led to the passage of the
Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 The Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 () was landmark legislation that established the framework for the modern federal budget. The act was approved by President Warren G. Harding to provide a national budget system and an independent audit of go ...
, which established the Bureau of the Budget (now called the
Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...
) and the
General Accounting Office The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a legislative branch government agency that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services for the United States Congress. It is the supreme audit institution of the federal govern ...
. Edge also sponsored the
Edge Act The Edge Act is a 1919 amendment to the United States Federal Reserve Act of 1913, codified at {{UnitedStatesCode, 12, 611, 631, which allows national banks to engage in international banking through subsidiaries chartered by the Board of Governors ...
, a 1919 Amendment to the
Federal Reserve Act of 1913 The Federal Reserve Act was passed by the 63rd United States Congress and signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on December 23, 1913. The law created the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States. The Pani ...
, which allowed National Banks (any banking institution chartered by the
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is an independent bureau within the United States Department of the Treasury that was established by the National Currency Act of 1863 and serves to charter, regulate, and supervise all nation ...
) to engage in international banking through federally chartered subsidiaries. At the 1920 Republican National Convention that nominated
Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...
for President, there was a movement to nominate Edge as candidate for Vice President. Convention rules required the vote of a candidate's state delegation as a unit in support of the nomination, which Edge could not secure. In 1917, while governor, Edge had made an enemy of William P. Verdon, Republican leader of Hudson County, when Edge refused to appoint the man Verdon wanted as Hudson County prosecutor, Richard Doherty. (Verdon had expected that Doherty would wage a campaign against election fraud in Hudson County if appointed prosecutor). At the convention, Verdon kept his delegates from voting for Edge, thereby blocking the attempt to nominate him, and Verdon backed the nomination of
Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...
, the successful candidate. Edge opposed
prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
and voted against the
Volstead Act The National Prohibition Act, known informally as the Volstead Act, was an act of the 66th United States Congress, designed to carry out the intent of the 18th Amendment (ratified January 1919), which established the prohibition of alcoholic d ...
. In 1924, he ran for reelection advocating the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, which New Jersey had approved in 1922, after the end of his term as governor. He proposed a number of bills that would relax prohibition, including legislation authorizing the sale of alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of 3%, and another bill to legalize the sale of beer with alcohol content of 2.75%. At some point he supported practically every anti-prohibition movement in the Senate. Edge was reelected to the Senate in 1924, defeating prohibition advocate Hamilton Fish Kean in the Republican primary and Democratic candidate Frederick W. Donnelly in the general election. In April 1929, it was reported that President
Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...
would appoint Edge
United States Ambassador to France The United States ambassador to France is the official representative of the president of the United States to the president of France. The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with France since the American Revolution. Relations we ...
. He did not resign from the Senate and take office as Ambassador, however, until November 21, 1929, a delay attributable to political issues involving the appointment of a Republican successor to fill his Senate seat and the desire to have his expertise in the Senate while tariff legislation was considered. During the course of the tariff debates, Edge proved a protectionist who voted in favor of higher tariffs on imported goods. The resulting tariff law, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, was not enacted until the spring of 1930, several months after Edge left the Senate.


United States Ambassador to France, 1929–1933

During his tenure as ambassador, Edge spent considerable time dealing with Franco-American trade issues, which were strained by tariff policies and the contentious post-World War I questions of war debts, reparations and disarmament.


Governor of New Jersey, 1944–1947

After his ambassadorship ended in 1933, Edge spent most of the next decade living a life of retirement, traveling, and serving as an elder statesman for the New Jersey Republican party. With the outbreak of World War II, Edge was eager to return to public service. In 1943 he agreed to run for governor provided no one opposed him in the Republican primary and the party maintained strong discipline, and party leaders accepted those conditions. Following his nomination, Edge faced Democratic candidate Vincent J. Murphy, mayor of Newark and state leader of the American Federation of Labor, in the general election. By now, any assistance provided to him by Hudson County Democratic boss
Frank Hague Frank Hague (January 17, 1876 – January 1, 1956) was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who served as the Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey from 1917 to 1947, Democratic National Committeeman from New Jerse ...
in the 1916 election was long forgotten, and Edge hammered on the theme of Hague's power, campaigning that a vote for Murphy was a vote for the domination of "labor leaders, communists and Hagueism". Edge also advocated streamlining state government, early postwar planning and the adoption of a new state constitution, which he considered essential to modernizing state government and which had been actively supported by the incumbent Democratic governor,
Charles Edison Charles Edison (August 3, 1890 – July 31, 1969) was an American politician, businessman, inventor and animal behaviorist. He was the Assistant and then United States Secretary of the Navy, and served as the 42nd governor of New Jersey. Commonly ...
. In the November 1943 election, Edge defeated Murphy by a comfortable margin. Edge's second term as governor was marked by numerous battles with Hague. In 1944, Edge and Hague fought over how certain railroad tax money should be allocated (with Hague's position ultimately prevailing), while Edge won the passage of legislation that required the use of voting machines in Hudson County to reduce the chance of electoral fraud. Edge also obtained legislation authorizing the governor to appoint jury commissioners for each county, bypassing county sheriffs, who had previously hand-picked grand jurors who they knew would refuse to indict those engaged in illegal activities protected by political bosses like Hague. The most important battle between Edge and Hague involved constitutional revision. In early 1944, Republican legislators drafted a new proposed constitution that would have, among other things, deprived Hague of a major source of patronage by restructuring the judiciary. Hague strongly opposed the revised constitution, and several weeks prior to the November 1944 election he launched a multi-pronged attack on it, charging that it would restrict the activities of labor unions, inhibit advancement opportunities for returning veterans, and subject all church owned property to taxation. Voters rejected the proposed constitution. The Edge administration battled Hague on other fronts as well. Walter D. Van Riper, whom Edge had appointed state attorney general, took over the Hudson County prosecutor's office and brought in outside investigators. Van Riper aggressively prosecuted unlawful activities protected by the Hague organization. In June 1944, he led raids on Hudson County horse race betting rooms, later obtaining the indictments from newly constituted Hudson grand juries, the first indictments for such activities since Hague had come to power. In the process, gambling on horse racing in Hudson County was virtually eliminated. In early 1945 Hague retaliated by having his hand-picked United States Attorney bring two federal indictments against Van Riper, one charging
check kiting Check kiting or cheque kiting (see spelling differences) is a form of check fraud, involving taking advantage of the float to make use of non-existent funds in a checking or other bank account. In this way, instead of being used as a negotiable i ...
and the other related to the alleged sale of gasoline in the black market. Van Riper went to trial on both indictments and was acquitted of all charges. Edge and Van Riper were undeterred and continued to apply pressure on Hague. Major state jobs, which Hague once had controlled, now went to Republicans. The state civil service system was reformed and freed from Hague's domination. The actions of the Edge administration took a heavy toll on Hague, who retired from active politics in 1947 during the administration of Edge's successor, Republican
Alfred E. Driscoll Alfred Eastlack Driscoll (October 25, 1902 – March 9, 1975) was an American Republican Party politician, who served in the New Jersey Senate (1939–1941) representing Camden County, who served as the 43rd governor of New Jersey, and as ...
. Despite the defeat of constitutional revision, Edge was able to accomplish much of his program. A number of state boards and commissions were consolidated, and a Taxation and Finance Department was established to handle all fiscal matters. Legislation providing benefits to returning veterans was enacted, as was legislation intended to improve the living conditions of migrant workers. In 1945, Edge signed a series of laws banning racial or religious discrimination in public accommodations, employment, public school admissions, jury service and hospital care. Much of Edge's last year in office was spent dealing with problems associated with the conversion to a peacetime economy and a wave of strikes.


Relationship with Atlantic County Republican organization

Throughout Edge's political career, his home county, Atlantic County, was controlled by a Republican political machine that was extensively involved in the protection of Atlantic City's vice industry and other corruption. When Edge first ran for public office in 1904, he ran as a reformer against a candidate supported by the party establishment. Edge enlisted the support of many prominent Atlantic City citizens, and used his ''Atlantic City Daily Press'' to promote his candidacy and expose the activities of the machine. Edge fully expected to win the election and was shocked when he was defeated. He later blamed his defeat on the "Scott machine" (a reference to the organization led by County Clerk Lewis P. Scott) and party boss control of voting places and ballot counting. After his defeat, Edge's ''Daily Press'' became a faithful supporter of the Republican organization. Edge subsequently ran with the support of the party establishment for state legislature, even campaigning when he ran for state senate in 1910 with Louis Kuehnle, Scott's successor as leader of the organization. When he ran for governor in 1916, Edge's campaign manager was
Enoch "Nucky" Johnson Enoch Lewis "Nucky" Johnson (January 20, 1883December 9, 1968) was an Atlantic City, New Jersey, political boss, a sheriff of Atlantic County, New Jersey, a businessman and a crime boss who was the leader of the political machine that control ...
, who had replaced Kuehnle as boss of the Atlantic County machine after Kuehnle was convicted of corruption related charges in 1911. Johnson and Hudson County Democratic leader
Frank Hague Frank Hague (January 17, 1876 – January 1, 1956) was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who served as the Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey from 1917 to 1947, Democratic National Committeeman from New Jerse ...
were widely credited with engineering Edge's 1916 victory, and Johnson also served as Edge's campaign manager during his successful run for the United States Senate in 1918."Edge Says Jersey Puts Dawes Across", ''The New York Times'', June 15, 1924, p.2 In 1924, however, the relationship between Edge and Johnson openly soured. In the Atlantic City Commission election that year, Johnson's organization backed a slate of candidates led by incumbent mayor Edward L. Bader. Bader was opposed by a ticket led by former mayor
Harry Bacharach Harry Bacharach (October 24, 1873 – May 13, 1947) was the Mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1912 for 6 months, and from 1916 to 1920, and again from 1930 to 1935. A Republican, he also served as a city commissioner. Biography Bacharach was b ...
. The Bacharach ticket ran on an anti-vice platform and gained the support of Johnson's opponents. Bader's slate won the bitter election, which was marked by allegations of widespread organization-backed voter fraud. A month after the election, Edge replaced Johnson as the manager of his senate reelection campaign amid rumors that Johnson was unhappy about the "hands off" policy that Edge had taken during the recent election in which Johnson's leadership had been threatened. Thereafter, the Atlantic County Republican organization led by Johnson refused to support Edge in his 1924 primary election contest against
Hamilton Fish Kean Hamilton Fish Kean (February 27, 1862December 27, 1941) was a U.S. Senator from New Jersey. Early life Kean was the son of Lucy (née Halstead) and John Kean. He was related to several prominent American politicians including his great-grandfathe ...
. Although in 1927 Johnson touted Edge as a potential presidential candidate, in 1928 the two men openly broke. The initial indication of a break was Johnson's support of Hamilton Fish Kean for the Republican nomination for United States senator, while Edge was backing
Edward C. Stokes Edward Casper Stokes (December 22, 1860November 4, 1942) was an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 32nd governor of New Jersey, from 1905 to 1908. Biography Stokes was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1860. He attende ...
."Jersey Senate Fight Splits Edge and Aide", ''The New York Times'', May 13, 1928, p.3 The split noticeably widened after Edge abandoned his policy of non-interference in purely local politics and backed Robert M. Johnston for Atlantic County state senator in the Republican primary. This prompted Johnson to openly back incumbent senator Emerson L. Richards, who was Edge's political and personal foe. The ensuing election was described as a "trial of strength in Atlantic County, the outcome of which may spell the doom of the loser". The election results proved to be a disaster for Edge, whose candidates lost Atlantic County to the Johnson backed candidates by margins exceeding three to one, and with Richards claiming the results marked Edge's "political extinction"."Kean and Larson Victors in Jersey", ''The New York Times'', May 17, 1928, p.16 In the wake of the election, Edge called for party unity, and Johnson attempted to brush aside any damage to Edge by denying claims that the election results meant the end of his political career or that the election had been against Edge. Edge, who faced a reelection campaign in 1930, resigned from the United States Senate in 1929 to accept appointment as Ambassador to France. In his 1948 memoirs, ''A Jerseyman's Journal'', Edge makes no mention of either Kuehnle or Johnson, who was imprisoned in 1941 for income tax evasion. Johnson's successor as leader of the Atlantic County Republican organization, Frank S. Farley, is mentioned once, in connection with events that transpired while Edge was out-of-state during his second term as governor, and Farley, as state senate president, was acting governor. Edge's memoirs have been criticized for failing to discuss how he rose in politics and in skipping over the skullduggery involved in interesting political situations, and his failure to discuss his relationship and disagreements with the Atlantic County machine provide examples of those omissions.


Later years and death

After Edge left office on January 21, 1947, he continued to promote constitutional reform, which was achieved later the same year with the adoption of the Constitution of 1947. Edge spent his final years as the elder statesman of the New Jersey Republican party. In 1951, he was one of the first prominent figures to back General
Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
for President. In 1953, he attended the coronation of King
Faisal II of Iraq Faisal II ( ar, الملك فيصل الثاني ''el-Melik Faysal es-Sânî'') (2 May 1935 – 14 July 1958) was the last King of Iraq. He reigned from 4 April 1939 until July 1958, when he was killed during the 14 July Revolution. This regici ...
as President Eisenhower's representative. Edge died on October 29, 1956, in New York City. He was buried at the Northwood Cemetery in
Downingtown, Pennsylvania Downingtown is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 7,898. Downingtown was settled by European colonists in the early 18th century and has a number of historic buildings an ...
.


Personal life

Edge married Estella Blanche Ailes of Lancaster, Pennsylvania on January 11, 1893. Apparently this marriage ended in divorce since Edge does not mention it in his memoirs. He married Lady Lee Phillips of Memphis, Tennessee on June 5, 1907. She died July 14, 1915, four days after the birth of their only child. On December 9, 1922, Edge married Camilla Sewall of Bath, Maine, the daughter of
Harold M. Sewall Harold Marsh Sewall (January 3, 1860 – October 28, 1924) was an American politician and diplomat. Sewall was born in Bath, Sagadahoc County, Maine. He was the son of Arthur Sewall. Sewall served in the Maine House of Representatives, 1896, ...
, a former diplomat and close friend of President Warren G. Harding. Edge was forty-nine years old at the time, and his wife twenty-one."Senator Edge, 49, to Take Bride, 20", ''The New York Times'', September 14, 1922, p.18 During Edge's term as Ambassador to France, his wife was known as "the youngest ambassadress"."Walter E. Edge Dies; Twice Was Governor", ''The Atlantic City Press'', October 30, 1956, p. 1 Walter and Camilla Edge had three children together. In the early 1920s Edge lived in a cottage on States Avenue in Atlantic City that was near the Boardwalk. In 1923, he moved to a new beachfront home in
Ventnor, New Jersey Ventnor City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,210, a decrease of 1,440 in the preceding decade.Morven, the historic Princeton, New Jersey home of Richard Stockton, from the Stockton family. The sale was subject to the condition that Morven would be given to the state of New Jersey within two years of Edge's death. Edge transferred possession of Morven to the state in 1954, and he spent the last few years of his life living in a small house in Princeton. Edge was an avid sportsman who enjoyed fishing and hunting, especially hunting
quail Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy. Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New Wor ...
. After World War I, Edge purchased land in northern
Leon County, Florida Leon County is a county in the Panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. It was named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. As of the 2020 census, the population was 292,198. The county seat is Tallahassee, which is also the state cap ...
with his longtime friend,
Walter C. Teagle Walter Clark Teagle (May 1, 1878 – January 9, 1962) was president of Standard Oil Company of New Jersey from 1917 to 1937 and was chairman of the board from 1937 to 1942. He was responsible for leading Standard Oil to the forefront of the oil ...
, Chairman of the Board of
Standard Oil Company of New Jersey ExxonMobil, an American multinational oil and gas corporation presently based out of Texas, has had one of the longest histories of any company in its industry. A direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, the company traces its roo ...
. They named the property
Norias Plantation Norias Plantation is a small quail hunting plantation located north of Lake Miccosukee in northeastern Leon County, Florida, United States. The land for Norias was sold by Colonel Lewis S. Thompson of Sunny Hill Plantation to Walter E. Edge, Go ...
. In 1937 Edge sold his interests in Norias to Teagle and purchased the adjacent
Sunny Hill Plantation Sunny Hill Plantation was a large hunting plantation in northern Leon County, Florida. Plantation Sunny Hill Plantation was established by Lewis S. Thompson in 1913, and was created from the former W. G. Ponder Plantation. Just before World War ...
, located in northern Florida near Thomasville, Georgia. Sunny Hill Plantation became Edge's winter home where he hunted and fished on the grounds. Edge also maintained homes in Maine and Washington, D.C. Edge was a Presbyterian while young, becoming a member of the Pleasantville Presbyterian Church in 1889, but later was an Episcopalian. Edge was an active supporter of the Boy Scout movement in Atlantic County. He was a founder of the Atlantic City Boy Scout Council, and was its first president, a position that he held for four years. In 1929 he donated money that the Council used to purchase Camp Edge, located in Alloway, New Jersey. Edge was also a member of numerous Atlantic City and Atlantic County civic, fraternal, social and business organizations, including the Atlantic City Hospital Association, the Atlantic City Country Club, the Atlantic City
Elks Lodge The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...
, Trinity Lodge No. 79 and Masonic Belcher Lodge No. 180 of the Free and Accepted Masons, and the Atlantic County Historical Society.


Miscellaneous

In the 2000s, Edge's name (as Wally Edge) and likeness had renewed currency as the pseudonym of a prominent anonymous New Jersey political columnist, who, in 2010, was identified as former Livingston Mayor
David Wildstein David Wildstein (born September 1961) is an American businessman, Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician, political blogger, and the founder of the New Jersey political news website PolitickerNJ.com, Politicker Network. A ...
,"PolitickerNJ's tightly guarded secret is out", June 5, 2010, http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/06/politickernjs_secret_is_out_ed.html and who would later become involved in the
Fort Lee lane closure scandal The Fort Lee lane closure scandal, also known as the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal or Bridgegate, was a political scandal involving a staff member and political appointees of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie colluding to cr ...
known as "Bridgegate."
Geoff Pierson Geoff Pierson is an American actor known for his starring television roles on '' Dexter'', ''Unhappily Ever After'', '' Grace Under Fire'', '' 24'', '' Ryan's Hope'', and '' Designated Survivor''. He has guest-starred in dozens of other TV shows. ...
portrayed him in
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
's ''
Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s and ...
''.


See also

* List of governors of New Jersey *
Edge Act The Edge Act is a 1919 amendment to the United States Federal Reserve Act of 1913, codified at {{UnitedStatesCode, 12, 611, 631, which allows national banks to engage in international banking through subsidiaries chartered by the Board of Governors ...


References


External links

Retrieved on 2008-02-11
Walter E. Edge Papers at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton UniversityBiography of Walter E. Edge (PDF)
,
New Jersey State Library The New Jersey State Library, based in Trenton, New Jersey, was established in 1796 to serve the information needs of New Jersey's Governor, Legislature and Judiciary. The State Library is also responsible to assist in the provision of library and ...

New Jersey Governor Walter Evans Edge
National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the politica ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edge, Walter Evans 1873 births 1956 deaths Politicians from Philadelphia Republican Party governors of New Jersey Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Republican Party New Jersey state senators 19th-century American Episcopalians 20th-century American Episcopalians American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Ambassadors of the United States to France United States Army officers Presidents of the New Jersey Senate Republican Party United States senators from New Jersey American Presbyterians People from Pleasantville, New Jersey People from Princeton, New Jersey People from Ventnor City, New Jersey Nucky Johnson's Organization Military personnel from New Jersey Military personnel from Philadelphia 1904 United States presidential electors Burials in Pennsylvania