Background
Edward is fifth son of Benjamin Franklin Burgess (1818–1876) and Cordelia Williams Ellis(1821–1876).
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Edward Burgess
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Edward was educated at Harvard, graduating in 1871, and became secretary of the Boston Society of Natural History, in which capacity he edited the publications of the society, and published several memoirs on anatomical subjects. He traveled in Europe, and, in an amateur way, studied the principles of naval architecture, bringing his knowledge and judgment to the practical test of designing and building vessels for his own use.
Career
The Burgess family were merchants who made their money in the West Indies trade and lost it in 1879. They had a summer residence in Beverly, Massachusetts. In 1879 he became instructor in entomology at Harvard, remaining until 1883.
His success in this line was so marked that when, in 1883, a reverse of fortune threw him upon his own resources for a livelihood, he naturally turned to the designing of sailing yachts.
This was a remarkable triumph in view of the fact that it was the first attempt of an American designer to solve certain shipbuilding problems to which Englishmen had given their attention for a score of years. In 1888 his fishing schooner Carrie East. Phillips distanced four competitors in the fisherman"s race held in Boston harbor.
His other yachts included the Mariquita and Gossoon, both remarkably swift sloops designed to counter the success of the Clyde-built cutter Minerva (William Fife, 1888). Edward married Caroline Louisa Sullivant on June 2, 1877 in Boston.
She was born 2 November 1852 in Columbus Ohio and is daughter of William Starling & Caroline Eudora (Sutton) Sullivant.
They had two sons William Starling Burgess and Charles Paine Burgess. Edward died July 12, 1891 of typhoid fever. Caroline died 16 September 16, 1891 in Boston of pneumonia.
Achievements
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Several of his boats won fame in the waters of the eastern United States, and when, in 1884, it became necessary to build a large sloop yacht to represent the United States in a series of international races, he was selected by a committee of Bostonians to draw plans for a suitable vessel. His Volunteer won the America"s cup against the Thistle, the special product of British genius, in the international races of 1887. They are both buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery lot #1167 Geranium Burgess was inducted into the America"s Cup Hall of Fame in 1994.
