Edward Daugherty

DAUGHERTY, Sr., Edward "Ed" Lawton

Edward Lawton Daugherty, Sr. died Thursday, August 21, 2025. He is survived by family and friends who adored him, and a legacy of Southern landscape architecture in the city of Atlanta and beyond. Born in Summerville, South Carolina October 20, 1926 and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Ed was proud to say he never lived more than a block and a half off Peachtree Road. He died at Piedmont Hospital, located along that main thoroughfare of his beloved "city in a forest."

The third of five children of Carl Francis "Sparks" Daugherty and Susan "Susie" Hard Lawton Daugherty, Edward studied at Spring Street School, North Fulton High School, Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia and Harvard University. Edward entered Georgia Tech in 1943 to study architecture, but was interrupted by two years of Army service during World War II. Upon his return, he transferred to the University of Georgia to study landscape architecture from 1947 to 1948 and then went on to Harvard Graduate School of Design where he was awarded his B.L.A. in 1950 and his M.L.A. in 1951. While at Harvard he apprenticed with Olmsted Brothers in Brookline, Massachusetts.

In I952 Ed was awarded a Fulbright grant and spent the next year studying town planning in England. He returned to Atlanta and started his private practice on the sun porch of his parents' home on East Paces Ferry Road, incorporating what he learned in England about restoration of war-torn landscapes into sensible stewardship and conservation of natural lands balanced with growth and development.

Under Edward's tutelage, numerous landscape architects honed their craft, and they continue to apply their skills to urban, rural, residential and institutional properties from their practices throughout the Southeast. The majority of Edward's portfolio of drawings, designs, and documents are archived at the Atlanta History Center, a testament to his impact on the city's green spaces and landscapes, both public and private.

Married for 64 years to Martha Houstoun Sullivan Daugherty, Edward is survived by their four children, Elizabeth Tozzer (Brent), Edward Daugherty, Jr. (Marlys), Ann Daugherty, Harriet Daugherty DVM; three grandchildren, Forrest Daugherty (Kat), Wright Tozzer, Emma Cooper; and one great-granddaughter, Josephine Daugherty. Edward's beloved elder sister, Susan Lawton Daugherty, also survives him and remains an enthusiastic and devoted aunt.

Services will be held on September 11, 2025, 11:00 AM at All Saints' Episcopal Church, 634 West Peachtree Street, NW Atlanta, GA 30308.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made in Edward's memory to All Saints' Episcopal Church, Canterbury Court – Pollinator Garden Fund, Cherokee Garden Library at the Atlanta History Center, Mountain Conservation Trust of Georgia, and Trees Atlanta.