George was born in
North Java, New York. He wrestled for both
St. Bonaventure University and for the
University of Michigan. He also represented the United States in freestyle wrestling at the
1928 Amsterdam Olympics, placing fourth in the
heavyweight class (87 kg). During the years 1926–29, Ed Don George attended the University of Michigan, with his concentration of study in engineering. Later on, in 1929, at St. Bonaventure University, he graduated with a college degree. Quick and powerful, he took on the name "Ed Don George" and began his professional career shortly after returning from the Olympics. He captured the
AWA World Heavyweight Championship on December 10, 1930, from
Gus Sonnenberg. Double-crossed by
Ed "Strangler" Lewis in Los Angeles on April 13, 1931, George dropped the title to the Strangler. George refused to wrestle Lewis in a
shoot contest, admitting he would lose to Lewis in a real match. However, promoter
Paul Bowser maneuvered it back to George, who held it for nearly four years, finally losing it to
Danno O'Mahony on June 30, 1935. George remained one of the top box office draws of the 1930s, and on April 5, 1937, defeated Al Perreira in Paris to capture the European version of the world title. In March 1942 he joined the
US Navy. There he taught hand-to-hand combat to naval air cadets. In December 1945 he left the navy with the rank of
Commander. During the late 1940s through the 1950s he promoted numerous wrestling matches in the United States. In the mid 1950s he found himself promoting wrestling at the casinos in
Havana, Cuba until
Fidel Castro came to power. In 1949, George bought a parcel just east of North Java, New York where
Camp O'Ryan was situated. He then very soon afterwards leased this land for 25 years to the federal government, which built, in conjunction with New York State, a New York National Guard training site. George died in
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on September 18, 1985, and his body was buried in the village of North Java, New York. He was inducted into the
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2006 he was inducted posthumously into the
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. ==Championships and accomplishments==