[1] He was born to Samuel Reichmann, a wealthy Vienna merchant of Hungarian origin from Beled.
The family was lucky to escape Austria before the Nazi invasion leaving the country on the morning of Anschluss to tend to Edward's grandfather David who had suffered a stroke.
From Hungary the family made its way to Paris and then the neutral city of Tangier where Samuel established a successful business in currency trading.
When Edward's three younger brothers Paul, Albert, and Ralph moved to Canada, he convinced them to settle in Toronto and open a branch of the tile company there.
He put much energy into building connections with the city's political elite, including becoming a close associate of mayor Jean Drapeau.