Edward Grimes Breen was an American 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

University of Dayton

The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...

. After attending Ohio State University

Ohio State University

The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...

, 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, Breen, a Roman Catholic by faith, served as a Major (United States)

Major (United States)

In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...

 in the United States Army Air Forces

United States Army Air Forces

The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....

. He saw active duty in North Africa and in Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

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

Lieutenant Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...

 in the Infantry Reserve.

In 1945, Breen was elected to the Board of Commissioners of Dayton, Ohio. His fellow commissioners elected him mayor.

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

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

. In that election, Breen successfully unseated Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 incumbent Raymond H. Burke

Raymond H. Burke

Raymond Hugh Burke was a teacher, businessman and member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio’s third district....

. In 1950, Breen won re-election to the House, defeating Republican challenger Paul F. Schenck

Paul F. Schenck

Paul Fornshell Schenck was a U.S. Representative from Ohio.Born in Miamisburg, Ohio, his family moved to Dayton, Ohio in 1908 where he graduated from Steele High School in 1917. He received two years of college training, a student teacher at Steele from 1917 to 1919. He then worked in the...

. 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, Ohio

Montgomery County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. The population was 535,153 in the 2010 Census. It was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada. The county seat is Dayton...

, 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

See also

• Election Results, U.S. Representative from Ohio, 3rd District

External Links

• Congressman Edward G. Breen Collection, Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University