Thomas Edward ("Ed") Braswell, Jr., died in Alexandria on Feb. 23, 2014, at the age of 93.

Mr. Braswell served as chairman of the Alexandria Planning Commission for over 30 years, beginning in the 1960s. In that role, Mr. Braswell was a key figure in the preservation of the historic character of Old Town Alexandria, as well as its historic homes and neighborhoods. In particular, Mr. Braswell worked to defeat the "Beggs Plan," an urban renewal initiative in the 1960s that would have bulldozed several blocks of historic buildings on King Street, as well as most of historic neighborhood north of King Street in the vicinity of City Hall. Mr. Braswell assisted in the creation of Alexandria's Board of Architectural Review and the enactment of strict height limitations on new development, both of which have been instrumental in the preservation of Old Town Alexandria's historic character. Mr. Braswell also assisted in the creation of Founders' Park on the Alexandria waterfront. Developers were reluctant to purchase this prime parcel of waterfront property because of a centuries-old legal title dispute over the exact boundary between the City of Alexandria and the District of Columbia. Recognizing that the legal title to the parcel could probably never be cleared, Mr. Braswell arranged to obtain the parcel for the City of Alexandria for a park. The parcel became Founders' Park, thereby preserving a prime waterfront space in perpetuity for all of the people of Alexandria to enjoy.

In his work on the Alexandria Planning Commission, Mr. Braswell said that it was always his goal to strike a fair balance between the interests of the residents and those of business community, to create a sustainable environment in which both residents and businesses could thrive.

Mr. Braswell was born in Elm City, N.C., in 1921. He was the son of Thomas Edward Braswell, Sr. and Sarah McCauley Braswell. Mr. Braswell graduated from Duke University in 1942. He then served in the Army Air Corp. during World War II, stationed in India. Mr. Braswell later graduated from Harvard Law School and commenced his legal career at the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. For the majority of his legal career, Mr. Braswell served as the Staff Director and Chief Counsel to the Senate Armed Services Committee from 1953 - 1976. Upon leaving public service, he went into private law practice with Corcoran & Rowe and later with Zuckel, Scout & Rasenberger in Washington D.C., before starting his own law firm based in Rosslyn.

Mr. Braswell is survived by three of his four sons: Harry A. Braswell, Thomas Edward Braswell III, and Andrew S. Braswell. His eldest son, John M. Braswell, preceded him in death last year. He is also survived by his former wife, Jeff Sutherland Braswell of Port Gibson, Miss., his daughters-in-law, Sue and Pauline Braswell and Monica Fagan, as well as six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

A visitation was held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Alexandria on Tuesday evening Feb. 25, followed by a memorial service at St. Paul's on Wednesday Feb. 26.