Edward Julius Berwind (June 17, 1848 – August 18, 1936) was an American coal baron who co-founded the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company with his brother Charles Frederick Berwind and Allison White. Berwind served as the second president of the company from 1890 to 1930. He was considered the largest single owner of coal properties in the United States and his agreements to supply coal to the United States Navy, Pennsylvania Railroad, and international shipping lines were considered a monopoly. He owned six coal companies and the Berwind National Bank. He served as a director for approximately 50 companies including banks, coal, railway, and international shipping companies.
His summer home, The Elms, in Newport, Rhode Island, was designed by architect Horace Trumbauer and was filled with Berwind's art collection.
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Early life
Berwind was born on June 17, 1848, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was one of five sons born to German immigrants Augusta (née Guldenferring) Berwind and John Berwind. Among his siblings was brother Charles Frederick Berwind, the first president of Berwind-White, and sister Julia A. Berwind, a social welfare activist who in later life lived with Edward.
Berwind was appointed to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, in July 1865 by President Abraham Lincoln, and graduated in June 1869 as a midshipman. He was promoted to ensign in July 1870 and to master (equivalent to the modern rank of lieutenant, junior grade) in March 1872. He served during the Franco-Prussian War and the Spanish–American War. As an ensign, met the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, who became a lifelong friend of Berwind.