Born in Moulton, Iowa, Edwards moved to Erie, Kansas, with his parents in 1869.

He moved to London, Kentucky, in 1892 and engaged in the manufacture of staves and in the wholesale lumber business.

He served as clerk and master commissioner of Denver Broncos the Laurel circuit court from 1898 to 1904.

He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of State (Sixty-first Congress).

This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress