Brunswick legend William Brice Edwards remembered for decades of public service

When William Brice "Billy" Edwards died, contemporary accounts said his funeral was "attended by several hundred" firemen, police officers, teachers, children, community leaders, citizens and family, and that "all stores and businesses were closed." He was eulogized as "one of the most prominent and best loved citizens in the history of Brunswick."

William Brice Edwards was born to the Rev. Brice and Susan Edwards in Brunswick on Dec. 7, 1877. The accounts describe him as 5 foot 6 inches tall, wiry and strong, and known locally simply as "Billy." In his early days he was "engaged in the logging business, owned a livery stable, and moved many of the houses in town."

As a boy, Edwards "joined the Kennebec Hand Engine Company" as a volunteer of the Brunswick Fire Department, a start that preceded a long public career. One contemporary account says, "By early 1916, 39-year-old Billy Edwards joined the Brunswick Police Department as a full-time officer." That account calls him 39 at the time, though his Dec. 7, 1877 birth date would make him 38 in early 1916.

The record of his first year on the force emphasizes physical confrontations. "In his first year, he was brutally assaulted while arresting four local thugs," and he "single-handedly stopped a man from assaulting a woman near the Pine Grove Cemetery," according to the same narrative of his career.

Edwards' rise into town and county posts is recorded with specific appointments. In December 1918, "Edwards was [also] appointed Deputy Sheriff" with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, covering the areas of Brunswick and Harpswell. "By May 1919, Edwards was appointed Chief of the [Brunswick] Police department." Before the year was out, Edwards was also appointed Brunswick’s first fire chief. A later summary of his career lists "state detective" among roles he held, but offers no dates or agency information for that position.

Community descriptions of Edwards emphasize both toughness and popularity. The accounts call him "fearless and cast-iron tough," note that "he served his community for 40-years," and label him "the man most feared by bootleggers during prohibition days." He is further described as "one of the most generous, honest and popular of Brunswick’s leaders."

A recent column revisited Edwards' life and the local memory work around him. Historian Lori-Suzanne Dell, who has authored five books on Maine history and administers the "Stories From Maine" pages on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, is named as part of the effort to keep Edwards' story alive.

Existing accounts leave some documentary gaps: no specific date of death or funeral date is given, the "40-years" of service lack start and end years, and the "state detective" listing appears without agency records or dates. Still, the preserved details record a trajectory from Kennebec Hand Engine Company volunteer to police officer, deputy sheriff, police chief and the town's first fire chief, and they show why Brunswick closed its stores and turned out in the hundreds to mark his passing.