January 18, 1895

The commercial artist known for designing the Arkansas Centennial half-dollar, Edward Everett Burr was born in Warren County, Ohio. Though raised in Paragould (Greene County), Burr spent most of his career in Chicago, where in the 1920s he studied with portraitist Leopold Seyffert and sculptor Albin Polasek. By 1926, his own work was exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago, and in 1927, he was featured at the Illinois Academy of Fine Arts. In 1934, Burr won a contest held by the Arkansas Centennial Commission for the design of a commemorative centennial coin design. He continued to design coins, such as the Will Rogers commemorative for the Franklin Mint in 1967.