Edward Johnson Phelps

Who was Edward Johnson Phelps?

Edward Johnson Phelps family had been settled in Massachusetts from the earliest times and are alleged to be of noble descent. Edward's father, the Rev. Austin Phelps was a graduated of the University of Pennsylvania and studied for a year at the Yale Divinity School. Austin was professor of sacred rhetoric at the Andover Theological Seminary for over thirty years.

Edward Phelps attended Yale College, where he graduated in 1886. During that time he took an interest in sports, being a member of the Freshman Football Team and was also Chairman of the Yale Literary Magazine. He was a member of Eta Phi, Delta Kappa Epsilon, Chi Delta Theta, the Political Science Club and Skull and Bones. Due to his ability as a public speaker, Phelps was entered into the De Forest Medal Contest in his senior year. He was beaten by Evans Woollen, who like Phelps spoke on "The American Tory in the Revolution" After his senior year, Phelps enrolled at the Yale Graduate School and received an MA in 1888. During the years 1887 and 1888, he also engaged in the insurance business in Chicago.