EDWIN J. LICHTENWALNER attorney at law and representative citizen of Lehigh county, was the son of John H., attended the public school at Fogelsville in acquiring his preliminary education, and afterward the high schools at Allentown. Pa., and Lawrenceville, N.J., and a preparatory school at Princeton, N. J., then the Muhlenberg College (entering the sophomore class in 1877) and he was graduated in 1879. After his graduation, he became deputy warden of the Lehigh county prison, under his father, the Hon. H. Lichtenwalner. who was the warden at that time. While filling this position he entered upon the study of law under the supervision of Hon. Edward Harvey, and after following the prescribed course of reading he was admitted to the Lehigh county bar in 1885. Subsequently he was also admitted to proactive before the courts of Northampton, Carbon. Bucks, Berks, and York counties, the Supreme Court of PA., and the U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of PA. Since his admission he carried on a very successful and extended practice of his profession.

In the fall of 1901, Mr. Lichtenwalner was elected district attorney of Lehigh county and he filled the office in a distinguished manner from January 1902 to January1905. During his term there were many important criminal cases which attracted much attention. At the September sessions of 1904 he disposed of 189 cases in one week He became the counsel for defendants, in many serious cases, among them being, William Keck, for the murder of William Mipsch and wife at Ironton. Pa.; William Kelly, for the murder of William Brennan; Michael Murphy, for the murder of ?; James H. Wilson for the murder of John Ebert; Salle Raudenbush for infanticide; and William Frey for manslaughter. In the Wilson case, he prepared an exhaustive brief on "Emotional Insanity" which came to be used prominently in contested cases of a similar nature in New Jersey, New York and other states.

In 1886, one year after his admission to practice, Mr. Lichtenwalner instituted and tried the first case in PA against a father for alienating the affection of his son from his son's wife (Gernerd vs. Gernerd), in which a verdict for $2,900 was recovered; and on appeal to the Supreme Court the judgment was affirmed. He established a wide reputation in divorce cases; for, of 204 cases instituted by him, he obtained favorable decrees in all of them but two.

Mr. Lichtenwalner early in life espoused the principles of the Democratic Party and his activity in local politics led to his selection as chairman of the Democratic county convention in 1890, and eventually to his election as district attorney in 1901. He stumped the county on a number of occasions in the interest of his party, and has been called upon frequently to deliver memorial addresses. He was one of the first partisans in the Lehigh Valley to forcibly advocate the candidacy of Hon. Woodrow Wilson for President of the United states, and as a consequence he became a delegate to the Democratic state Convention at Harrisburg in June, 1912, where he was chosen as chairman of the delegation in behalf of Hon. George w. Guthrie and Hon. A. Mitchell Palmer, and elected as an Alternate Delegate at Large to the Democratic National convention at Baltimore in July, 1912, at which Wilson became the nominee of the party for president.

Mr. Lichtenwalner had become identified with the following secret societies: Greenleaf Lodge No. 561.F.and A.M..of Allentown(and a Past Master by merit); Lecha Wonk Tribe, No. 291,!.0. It M. (and a Past Sachem); Livingston Castle, No. 258, IC G. E.; Macungie Lodge, No. 231, I.O.O.F., at Fogelsville; Clinton Chamber, No. 44. O. K. of F., and the Allentown Lodge, No. 129, L. O. O. M.. of Allentown. He was a member of the Clover Club, the Lehigh County Democratic Club, and the Rescue Hook and Ladder Co., No. 6 (of which he was a charter member); and also of the St. Michael's Evangelical Lutheran Church at Allentown. He died Dec. 22, 1913.