Representative Edmund Hope Driggs

Edmund Hope Driggs (May 2, 1865 – September 27, 1946) was an American businessman and Democratic politician who served two terms as a United States Representative from New York from 1897 to 1901. His congressional service occurred during a significant period in American history at the turn of the twentieth century, when the nation was undergoing rapid industrial, social, and political change, and he participated in the legislative process as a member of the House of Representatives representing the interests of his constituents.

Driggs was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 2, 1865. He was educated in the public schools of Brooklyn and continued his studies at Adelphi Academy, a prominent local preparatory institution. This early education in his native borough provided the foundation for his later pursuits in business and public life, and established his lifelong connection to Brooklyn, which would remain the center of his personal and professional activities.

After completing his schooling, Driggs entered the business world and became engaged in the casualty-insurance business. In this capacity he developed expertise in assessing risk and structuring insurance coverage at a time when industrial growth and urbanization were increasing the demand for such services. His work in casualty insurance positioned him within the broader commercial and financial networks of New York and helped to establish his reputation as a businessman prior to his entry into elective office.

Driggs’s political career advanced when he was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-fifth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Representative Francis H. Wilson. He took his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on December 6, 1897. He was subsequently reelected to the Fifty-sixth Congress, serving continuously from December 6, 1897, to March 3, 1901. During these two terms, he contributed to the legislative process as a member of the Democratic Party, participating in debates and votes on issues confronting the nation during the late 1890s and early 1900s, and representing the concerns of his New York constituents in the federal legislature.

In 1900, Driggs stood for reelection to the Fifty-seventh Congress but was unsuccessful in his bid to retain his seat. With the conclusion of his congressional service on March 3, 1901, he returned to private life. He resumed his work in the casualty-insurance business and expanded his professional activities to include safety engineering, a field closely related to his insurance work and increasingly important in an era of industrial expansion, workplace regulation, and growing public attention to occupational safety.

Driggs spent the remainder of his life in Brooklyn, continuing his business pursuits and maintaining his ties to the community in which he had been born and educated. He died in Brooklyn on September 27, 1946. He was interred in Cypress Hills Cemetery, also located in Brooklyn, underscoring the enduring connection between his life, career, and his native borough.