Edward Lawrence Logan (January 20, 1875 – July 6, 1939) was an American lawyer, judge, military officer, and politician. While still a student, Logan enlisted in the Massachusetts 9th infantry during 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 ...

. Upon returning to Boston, he ran successfully for a seat on the

Boston City Council The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is made up of 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members. Councillors are elected to two-year terms and there is no ...

in 1899, and subsequently won election to the

Massachusetts state legislature The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

as both a representative, and later as a state senator. Rising to the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

following

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he was given command of the 26th Infantry Division of 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, ...

. Logan was instrumental in the post–World War I reorganization of that unit, as well as the

Massachusetts National Guard The Massachusetts National Guard is the National Guard component for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded as the Massachusetts Bay Colonial Militia on December 13, 1636, it contains the oldest units in the United States Army. What is tod ...

. He would go on to serve as head of

The American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is made up of state, U.S. territory, and overseas departments, and these are in turn made up of l ...

's Department of Massachusetts. General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport, an

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer r ...

located in the

East Boston East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts annexed by the city of Boston in 1637. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Revere, and Chelsea. It is separated from the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown and d ...

neighborhood of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, is named after him.

Biography

Early years

Logan was born in

South Boston South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transformat ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, a son of Lawrence J. Logan and Catherine M. O'Connor.Edward Lawrence Logan, "Edward Lawrence Logan", i
''Harvard College Class of 1898 Quindecennial Report''
n.c.: n.p., June 1913; pp. 200–201. He graduated from

Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...

and enrolled at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

, from which he graduated in 1898. During his freshman year, he lived in

Holworthy Hall Holworthy Hall, in Harvard Yard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a historic dormitory for first-year students at Harvard College. History Holworthy was named in 1812 in honor of a wealthy English merchant, Sir Matthew Holworthy, who died in 1678 ...

, where his roommate was John Rankin McVey, an attorney and banker who became a powerful figure in the Massachusetts Democratic Party.

Political career

Edward L Logan, Committee on Metropolitan Affairs (1902)

In 1897, Logan enlisted in the 9th Infantry Regiment of the Massachusetts National Guard. He was quickly promoted through the ranks to sergeant major, and took part in combat in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

during the

. He returned to Boston in the fall of 1898 and enrolled at

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each c ...

. While still a law student, Logan won election to the Boston Common Council, on which he served from 1899 to 1900. In 1900, Logan ran successfully for election to the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

, where he served from 1901 to 1902. He graduated from law school in 1901 and was admitted to the bar, after which he began to practice in Boston. Logan won election to the

Massachusetts State Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...

in from a South Boston district November 1905. He served from 1906 to 1907, and was an unsuccessful 1906 candidate for the Democratic nomination for Congress in Massachusetts' 10th Congressional district. In 1907, Logan was nominated to serve as associate justice of the Municipal Court for the South Boston District by

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 ...

Governor Curtis Guild Jr. he remained on the bench for the next 25 years, excepting his military service.

Military career

Col Edward L Logan, and staff of 101st Infantry en route to front (March 1918)

Although Logan had resigned from the state militia in 1899, he rejoined in 1901, and 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 unt ...

in the 9th Infantry Regiment. He served in the 9th Regiment for the next 10 years and was promoted to first lieutenant and

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. In February 1911 he was promoted to

major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...

and in May 1912 to commander of the regiment with the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

. In March 1917, Logan's regiment was

mobilized Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and t ...

to guard installations in anticipation of the US declaration of war on

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. After several months of guard duty, the 9th was federalized and re-designated as the 101st Infantry Regiment, part of the 26th Infantry Division, a

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

organization created from the units of the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

states. Logan accompanied his troops to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in command of the 101st, and the regiment saw combat throughout the war. In April 1919, the 101st Infantry was relieved of active duty, and Logan oversaw its reorganization into the

. In January 1921 Logan was promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

and took command of the Massachusetts national Guard's 1st Brigade. In March 1923 he was promoted to

as commander of the 26th Division. As its first post-war commander, General Logan was responsible for reorganizing and training the division as a completely Massachusetts unit.

Post-war life

Throughout the remainder of his life, Logan achieved prominence as an advocate for

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that h ...

s as the state commander of the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is made up of state, U.S. territory, and overseas departments, and these are in turn made up of ...

and president of the National Guard Association of the United States. He retired from the Guard in 1938. At his retirement, Logan received a state promotion to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

in recognition of his decades of military service.

Death and legacy

Logan died in

on July 6, 1939. He was 64 years old at the time of his death. In 1943, Boston Airport/Jeffrey Field was renamed General Edward Lawrence Logan Airport in Logan's honor. Although Logan was not an aviator, he did lobby intensely for veteran benefits to include the high-risk group of pilots. A statue of Logan by

Joseph Coletti Joseph Arthur Coletti (November 5, 1898 – May 5, 1973) was an Italian-born American sculptor. Life Coletti was born in San Donato, Italy, on November 5, 1898. He was brought to the United States by his parents when he was two years old, and he ...

was unveiled at the airport entrance in a public ceremony on May 20, 1956. It has been moved several times to accommodate the airport's growth.

Footnotes

External links

* Leonid Kondratiuk
"About Logan: Major General Edward L. Logan"
at www.massport.com via

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and see ...

Historic Shorts , Lt. General Edward Logan Statue Dedication at Logan Airport on May 20, 1956
via

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

* coordinates of Logan statue {{DEFAULTSORT:Logan, Edward Lawrence 1875 births 1939 deaths Boston Latin School alumni Harvard College alumni American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army personnel of World War I Boston City Council members Harvard Law School alumni Massachusetts National Guard personnel National Guard (United States) generals Massachusetts state court judges Massachusetts state senators Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives People from South Boston Politicians from Boston United States Army generals