People
Village Leader
Edward "Ned" Foote - Fourth Mayor of Bratenahl
10207 Lake Shore Boulevard
Edward Foote was elected as the fourth mayor of Bratenahl, replacing Richard Grant. Foote served for eight years from 1928 through 1935. After retiring as mayor, Foote was appointed by the Bratenahl council to replace James Ferris, who died in February 1936. Before Edward Foote was mayor, he served as a member of the Bratenahl Board of Education.
The Great Depression marked the single biggest challenge for Mayor Foote. A reduction in staff and payroll became necessary to balance the budget.
Bratenahl’s salvation resulted from the enormous inheritance taxes collected from several large estates. The village paid off all bonded indebtedness with the surplus shared with the school system. Bratenahl became the only debt-free community in Cuyahoga County.
The market for Bratenahl's real estate dried up. Relatively few homes in the Village were sold for unpaid mortgages, in part because lending institutions did not wish to risk being burdened with unproductive real estate.
Bratenahl had reached the zenith of its beauty. The immaculate graveled sidewalks, the arch of giant elms, and the mature landscaping matched that of any New England town of the era. To the passerby, the regular rows of magnificent elms lining both sides of the Boulevard and most side streets created a visual barrier between the public and private spaces.
Edward Augustus Foote was born on January 1, 1869, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Edward and Sarah Foote. He attended public schools to the age of thirteen, after which he spent thirteen years working at railway offices, gaining a comprehensive knowledge of railway interests that proved of value to him in later years.
Having studied law, he was admitted to the bar in 1894, entering practice in Cincinnati in a clerical position in a law office for eighteen months. He then joined the legal department of the Big Four Railroad in Indianapolis for three years, acting as a claims agent and trial lawyer in the investigation of accidents.
Foote came to Cleveland and for four years was connected with the law firm of Kline, Tolles & Goff. In 1907, he began his partnership with the firm of Cook, McGowan, and Foote. He engaged in general practice with much of his attention focused on railway law.
Edward married Eloise Urner. She was born in 1875 in Cincinnati, Ohio. There were no children. Eloise died on August 17, 1900, at age twenty-five and buried in Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati.
Edward remarried to Mary L. Hills on April 9, 1904. Mary was born in 1869 in Indiana. They had two children: Edward Addison “Ned” and Mary (Hoyt), born on April 4, 1909.
Foote was a member of The Country, Kirtland, Pepper Pike, Tavern, and Union clubs. Professional associations included the County Bar Association and the Nisi Prius Club. Edward and Mary attended Trinity Episcopal Church.
Edward died of a heart attack on August 1, 1937, at his summer home at Blackstone Lake in Canada. Mary died on June 7, 1958, and buried alongside Edward in Woodland Cemetery.