Edward L. (Edward Latimer) Beach

Born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1867, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1888 and went on to a long Navy career that stretched from the late 19th century into the years after World War I. He served in the Spanish–American War, the Philippine–American War, and World War I, and eventually reached the rank of captain.

Alongside his naval work, he was also known as an author. After active service, he was connected with teaching and civic work as well, giving his career a wider shape than that of a typical officer alone.

He is also remembered as the father of Edward L. Beach Jr., another naval officer and writer. That father-and-son link helped make the Beach name especially notable in American naval writing.