Colonel Edwin M. Chance received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania in 1907. He began his military career in 1917 at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland.

His first task was construction of the first toxic gas filling plant in the United States. He reviewed French plans for a similar plant and found them both inefficient and unsafe. Using technology from the American bottling industry, Colonel Chance then developed plans that became the standard at Edgewood Arsenal.

He later played a key role in establishing the toxic gas production plant at Edgewood, firmly believing that it would be more efficient to have such a plant near the filling facility rather than at private industrial sites. After the war, Colonel Chance had a long and distinguished career in private industry.

Colonel Chance died on 26 November 1954.