Robert Chambers Edwards, (September 17, 1860 – November 14, 1922), was a Canadian newsman, humorist, editorialist, entrepreneur, and provincial politician. He is best known as the writer and publisher of the Calgary Eye Opener weekly newspaper in the early 20th Century .

Early life and work (1860-1892)

Bob Edwards was born in Edinburgh. Little is known about any siblings, beyond the fact that he had an older brother, Jack. Edwards' mother, Mary Chambers, survived his birth by only a few weeks. His father, Alexander Mackenzie Edwards, died in 1868 while on a world cruise. He was raised by unmarried aunts, and attended school in St. Andrews and Edinburgh before spending time at Glasgow University. His mother's father, Dr. Robert Chambers, was a founder of the Scottish publishing house W. & R. Chambers

Chambers Harrap

Chambers Harrap Publishers is a reference publisher formerly based in Edinburgh, Scotland, which held the property rights of the venerable W.R.Chambers Publishers and its competitor George G. Harrap and Company .-History of Chambers:Chambers was founded as "W. & R...

; this may have influenced his later choice of career.

In 1881 and 1882, Bob Edwards put out a tourist periodical, The Channel, aimed at visitors to the French Riviera. He returned to Scotland and worked for a time with the Glasgow city clerk, Sir James David Marwick

James David Marwick

Sir James David Marwick was a Scottish lawyer, historian and town clerk. He served as Town Clerk of Glasgow for thirty-one years, during which time the entire city was transformed...

. Bob and Jack Edwards eventually decided to emigrate to the United States in 1892.

Political career

Edwards was elected in the 1921 Alberta general election

Alberta general election, 1921

The Alberta general election of 1921 was the fifth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on July 18, 1921 to elect members to the 5th Alberta Legislative Assembly....

 as an Independent candidate. He was one of five MLAs elected in a plurality vote in that election. He died in 1922, vacating his seat. Edwards is buried in Calgary's Union Cemetery.

Bob Edwards Junior High School in Calgary

Calgary

Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

, Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

 is named in his honour.

The Bob Edwards Award has been presented for over thirty years annually for excellence in journalism. Notable recipients have included Rick Mercer

Rick Mercer

Richard Vincent "Rick" Mercer is a Canadian comedian, television personality, political satirist, and blogger.Mercer first came to national attention in 1990, when he premiered his one man show Show Me the Button, I'll Push It, or Charles Lynch Must Die at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in...

 and Gwynne Dyer

Gwynne Dyer

Gwynne Dyer, OC is a London-based independent Canadian journalist, syndicated columnist and military historian.Dyer was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and joined the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve at the age of sixteen...

.

The long-running Calgary Eyeopener morning show on CBC Radio One

CBC Radio One

CBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...

in Calgary is named after Edwards' famous newspaper.