Edward Grimes Breen (June 10, 1908, in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

– May 8, 1991, in Dayton,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician of the Democratic party.

Biography

Ed Breen was born in the Phillips House, a fine old hotel in Dayton, Ohio. He was the son of John P. Breen, manager of the Phillips House. Breen attended Corpus Christi Grammar School and earned his bachelor's degree from the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...

. After attending

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

, Breen returned to Dayton to work in the hotel business, where he ran the Hilton Biltmore Hotel and later the Van Cleve Hotel. During the

Second World War 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 ...

, Breen, a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

by faith, served as a

Major (United States) In the United States Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, major is a field-grade military officer rank above the rank of captain and below the rank of lieutenant colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of lieutena ...

in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. He saw active duty in North Africa and in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. He was released from active duty and awarded the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in the Infantry Reserve. In 1945, Breen was elected to the

Board of Commissioners A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...

of Dayton, Ohio. His fellow commissioners elected him

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

. In 1948, Breen resigned his seat on the city commission in order to seek the Democratic nomination for a seat in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. In that election, Breen successfully unseated

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 ...

incumbent

Raymond H. Burke Raymond Hugh Burke (November 4, 1881 – August 18, 1954) was a teacher, businessman and member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio's third district. Raymond H. Burke was born in Nicholsville, Ohio, the son of Daniel Fletch ...

. In 1950, Breen won re-election to the House, defeating Republican challenger Paul F. Schenck. However, ill health prompted Breen to resign from his seat early, on October 1, 1951. His old opponent Schenck was elected in a special election in 1951 to complete his term. Returning to Dayton, Breen worked in the real estate and insurance industries. A few years later, he re-entered politics, running successfully for a seat on the Board of Commissioners of

Montgomery County, Ohio Montgomery County is located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 537,309, making it the fifth-most populous county in Ohio. The county seat is Dayton. The county was named in honor ...

, serving in that capacity from 1955 to 1960. In 1956 he married Constance Focke and they had two children. Edward Grimes Breen is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Dayton. His son has written a book about his father called ''"Lucky Eddie".'' http://www.thelocalhistorycompany.com/books/9780977042982/pages/9780977042982.html

References

Retrieved on 2008-03-19 * Flynn, Adrianne. “Ex-Mayor Edward Breen, 82, Dies; Served As U.S. Rep, County Commission President.” Dayton ''Daily News'', May 9, 1991, page 3A.

External links

Congressman Edward G. Breen Collection, Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breen, Edward G. 1908 births 1991 deaths United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Mayors of Dayton, Ohio University of Dayton alumni Ohio State University alumni 20th-century mayors of places in Ohio Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio United States Army Air Forces officers 20th-century American legislators United States Army officers United States Army reservists

Biography

See also

References

External links