Edward Braddy was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and grew up in Dixie County, where the Suwannee River meets the Gulf. He attended Santa Fe College, the University of Florida, and earned a Master’s degree in history at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
He has worked in higher education for over twenty-five years and has served in elected office, first as a city commissioner and later as mayor in Gainesville, Florida. He and his wife, Pauline, are avid anglers and enjoy the outdoors. They live in Old Town, Florida.