| Edward Benjamin Cushing | |
| Birth Date: | November 22, 1862 |
| Birth Place: | Houston, Texas |
| Death Place: | Houston, Texas |
| Education: | Texas A&M University |
| Employer: | Texas A&M University |
| Occupation: | Engineer, university administrator |
| Spouse: | Florence Abbey Powars |
| Parents: | E.H. Cushing Matilda Cushing |
Edward Benjamin Cushing (November 22, 1862 – February 17, 1924) was an engineer and academic administrator. He served as the chairman of the Board of Regents of Texas A&M University in 1912.
Edward Benjamin Cushing was born in Houston, Texas to E.H. and Matilda Cushing. His father was an outspoken Southern Democrat and owner of The Telegraph, a Houston newspaper.[1] He graduated from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, now known as Texas A&M University, in 1880.
He worked as a civil engineer for Southern Pacific Railroad after graduation and served in the U.S. Army. He also served as chief secretary of the Association of Ex-Cadets.[2] He was appointed to the board of directors for the school in 1912, only a year before assuming its presidency.[3]
Later, he personally bankrolled the fledgling Texas A&M University while chairman of the Board of Regents in 1912.[4] His money and campaign prevented a Texas A&M consolidation with the University of Texas at Austin.
In 1888, he married Florence Abbey Powars.[3]
In March 1904, his brother was kidnapped for ransom in West Texas and taken across the border to Mexico.[5]
He died in Houston in 1924. At the time of his death, he was a bank receiver for First National Bank in Granger, Texas.[3]
In 1930, a library was built at Texas A&M University in memory of Cushing. This represented the first freestanding library on the Texas A&M campus. The Sterling C. Evans Library was constructed in 1968 and became the university's primary library, but the Cushing Library remained as a repository of important university archives.[4]