Edward Steese was born in Scarsdale, New York, in 1902 to Mrs. Maude Heaton Steese and Dr. Edward Sturtevant Steese1. He attended Princeton University from which he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Art and Archeology in 1924 and a master's degree in Architecture in 1927.
1. "Mrs. Edward Steese", New York Tmes, October 6, 1961.