Edward Lee was a businessman who, in the 1880s built a chain of drapery shops in Dublin, Rathmines, Bray and Dún Laoghaire. He was recognised for his caring attitude towards his employees and was credited with introducing the half day holiday to Ireland in 1889. He also had a strong social conscience. During the 1913 Lockout, he profoundly disagreed with the tactics used by William Martin Murphy and other employers against the strikers. He was a man of moral courage.