Erdman was born in Philadelphia to Charles R. and Estelle P. (Pardee) Erdman in 1897 and moved with his parents to Princeton in 1905.[1][2] He attended the Lawrenceville School and then Princeton University. His studies were interrupted by World War I, during which time he served with the United States Navy Aviation Corps. Returning to Princeton, he was captain of the track team in 1919 and 1920 and intercollegiate hurdle champion. After receiving his B.A. degree in 1920, he went on to postgraduate work in political science, also at Princeton. He received his M.A. degree in 1924 and his Ph.D. degree in 1928. He married Lucy Bulkley (April 22, 1901 – May 1995) on June 14, 1922.[1]
Erdman was assistant professor in the Princeton department of politics from 1928 until 1935, and then served as a research associate for the Princeton Local Government Survey from 1935 to 1940. In 1940, he was appointed by the New Jersey Legislature as director of the Municipal Aid Administration, and he became Commissioner of Economic Development in 1944.[1]
He authored two books on the New Jersey State Constitution, arguing for reform: The New Jersey Constitution of 1776 (Princeton, 1929) and The New Jersey Constitution: A Barrier to Governmental Efficiency and Economy (Princeton, 1934). In the 1940s he worked to update the State Constitution, serving as secretary of the Constitutional Revision Commission.[2]
Erdman served six terms as Mayor of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey between 1936 and 1949. In 1949 he was appointed Commissioner of the newly created New Jersey Department of Conservation and Economic Development, serving until 1954. During his term of office he acquired large tracts for use as public lands, including Wharton State Forest in the Pine Barrens and stretches of beaches on the Jersey Shore.[2]
