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Myrtle Edwards was born in 1894, and studied music as a young women. She studied music at the University of Illinois, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree, the American College of Music, and the Illinois College of Music. She became a voice teacher at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, where she met and married Harlan H. Edwards, a civil engineer and the son of the founding family of the American Conservation of Music, in 1918.

The couple moved to Seattle in the early 1940s after living in Illinois and California and had two children. In Seattle, Myrtle became involved in the Seattle and Washington State League of Women Voters, serving as president of both, and the Seattle Council of Churches, where she was a member of the executive board. She was also active in the Municipal League, the American Association of University Women, Business and Professional Women, the Boy Scouts, and the Camp Fire Girls. She and Harlan were also members of the Audubon Society and the Sierra Club. In 1964, Seattle Beautiful Inc. named her Citizen of the Year, for her tireless work with the organization, which promoted public parks, boulevard plantings, and programs that enhanced neighborhood beautification.

Once their youngest child was in college, Myrtle went back to school at the University of Washington to get her degree in political science, and entered politics. In 1955, she was appointed to the Seattle City Council and elected a year later. She later served as president of the City Council. In each of her elections, a time when the council was elected at large, she received the most votes, furthermore, in 1964, she received more votes than any other council candidate had ever received.

She was very committed to parks and green spaces and worked to make these spaces an integral part of the city. She was also a strong supporter of the arts, and was most proud of the remodeled Opera House and the various theaters on its campus. Myrtle Edwards died unexpectedly due to injuries sustained in a car accident in 1969. To honor her legacy, the former Elliot Bay Park was renamed Myrtle Edwards Park. The park, which had been a dumping ground for construction and industrial projects, was transformed into a waterfront park overlooking Puget Sound in honor of the kinds of project she supported throughout her career.