Judge Edward J. Harden was born on November 19, 1813 in Bryan County Georgia. Judge Harden first opened a law office in Savannah in 1834 and went on to hold many judicial positions in the city throughout his life. He was a judge of the City Court of Savannah before the Civil War and acted as a Confederate States Judge for the district of Georgia during the war. At the time of his death in 1873, he was City Attorney of Savannah. He was elected to the presidency of the Georgia Historical Society in 1868 and served until 1873. In April of that same year, Judge Harden unexpectedly died on April 19, 1873, while staying in Indian Springs to recover from ill health. He is buried in Savannah’s Laurel Grove Cemetery.

Source:

• Proceedings, Resolutions and Communications, Commemorative of the Hon. Edward J. Harden, Attorney for the City of Savannah, and President of the Georgia Historical Society, who Died April 19th, 1873. The Georgia Historical Society. June 1873.