Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Cushing, Edward B.
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1862-1924
History
Edward Benjamin Cushing was born in Houston, Texas on November 22, 1862. He was an active member of the Eagle Fire Company No. 7 before attending TAMC.
Cushing married Florence Abbey Powers on February 18, 1888. He graduated with honors in civil engineering at Texas A&M College (TAMC) in 1889. After graduating TAMC, Cushing worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad at Houston as an axman and rodman, later becoming the assistant General Manager and Engineer in 1912. He fought in WWI as an officer inthe 17 thEngineers, American Expeditionary Force, and was awarded the French Croix de Guerre.
Cushing became President of the Texas A&M Board of Directors in 1912 and pushed to keep Texas A&M College open despite deficits and the destruction of Old Main, among other losses to the campus. He guaranteed Texas A&M notes with his personal funds, in order to keep the school open and prevent its merging with the University of Texas - Austin. Cushing became a Federal bank examiner in 1919 and died on February 17, 1924.
The first official free-standing library at Texas A&M, built in 1930, was dedicated to Cushing and named for him.