Edward Gallatin Roberts was born in Flat Creek (Buncombe County), North Carolina, on October 26, 1878. Roberts was an attorney who served as county attorney (1911-1912), a member of the legislature representing Buncombe County (sessions 1911, 1913, 1915, and 1917), and mayor of Asheville (1919-1923 & 1927-1930). A Democrat, Roberts supported women's suffrage and conservation efforts. He died in Asheville on February 25, 1931.