Born in Eutaw, Alabama on June 30, 1899, Edward deGraffenried was the second direct male descendant of Baron Christoph de Graffenried, the founder of New Bern, North Carolina, to be elected to Congress.

The Congressman was raised in Greensboro, Alabama and attended local public schools, afterwards he graduated from Gulf Coast Military Academy, Gulfport, Mississippi, in 1917.

There he was the editor of the Portlight and the Conch Shell, monthly and annual publications, respectively, of the Academy, and Chairman of the Honor Committee and President of the Literary Society.

Three of his sons, Edward III, Jeff and Ryan saw military service during World War II.

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