Edward Peter Beard (January 20, 1940 – January 11, 2021) was an American businessman and politician from

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. He served in the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is ...

and was a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

Early life

Born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, Beard attended Assumption Elementary School and Hope High School in Providence. He served in the

Rhode Island National Guard The Rhode Island National Guard consists of the: * Rhode Island Army National Guardbr>* Rhode Island Air National Guardbr>** 102nd Information Warfare Squadron ** 143d Airlift Wing ** 281st Combat Communications Group ** 282nd Combat Communicat ...

from 1960 to 1966, where he completed high school as well as a college-level course in agriculture. Beard was one of only a few members of Congress in the late 20th century who was not a college graduate. Beard worked as a house painter before entering politics.

Political career

Beard began his political career as a member of the

, serving from 1972 to 1974. In 1976, he was a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

. Elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Ninety-fourth Congress, he was re-elected to the Ninety-fifth and Ninety-sixth Congresses. Beard served in the U. S. House of Representatives from January 3, 1975, to January 3, 1981, and was chairman on the House Committee on Labor Standards. His bid for re-election to the Ninety-seventh Congress in 1980 was unsuccessful. His complete Congressional record of sponsored and co sponsored legislation can be found at: After leaving Congress, he owned and operated a tavern and hosted a short lived radio talk show. He served as director of elderly affairs for the City of Providence, Rhode Island, from 1986 to 2002. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination to the One Hundred and Second Congress in 1990. He was a resident of Providence, Rhode Island.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Beard, Edward 1940 births 2021 deaths Businesspeople from Providence, Rhode Island Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island House painters Democratic Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Politicians from Providence, Rhode Island Rhode Island National Guard personnel Neurological disease deaths in Rhode Island Deaths from Parkinson's disease in the United States 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Rhode Island General Assembly