| Edward A. Rath | |
| Birth Name: | Edward August Rath |
| Birth Date: | 17 April 1907 |
| Birth Place: | Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Office: | 1st Executive of Erie County |
| Term Start: | 1961 |
| Term End: | 1968 |
| Predecessor: | Position established |
| Successor: | B. John Tutuska |
| Party: | Republican |
| Spouse: | Mildred K. Rath (née Gates) |
| Relations: | Edward Rath III (grandson) |
Edward August Rath (April 17, 1907 – October 28, 1968) was an American politician who served as the first county executive of Erie County, New York.[1]
Following the transition from the board of supervisors form of government for Erie County to a County Executive form, Rath was elected in 1960 to an initial three-year term. The Edward A. Rath County Office Building, is named in his honor.
Rath was re-elected as County Executive in 1963 and 1967. He died in office in 1968 and was succeeded by Sheriff B. John Tutuska.[2]
Rath was the patriarch of a prominent Western New York political family. His son, Edward A. Rath, Jr. (1930-2003), served as a justice of the New York State Supreme Court and his daughter-in-law, Mary Lou Rath was a member of the New York State Senate and a former minority leader of the Erie County Legislature. His grandson, Edward Rath III, is a member of the New York State Senate.[3]