Edmund Jaeger was born in Loup, Nebraska in 1887 to Katherine and John Philip Jaeger. Edmund finished high school by the age of fifteen and later graduated from Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA. After his schooling, Jaeger went on to get his teaching credentials and he taught at elementary and high schools. He moved to Riverside, CA in 1906 and taught at Riverside Community College, where he worked for over thirty years before retiring. Jaeger took on many careers during his life: he was a teacher, a mentor, a philanthropist, an ecologist, a botanist, and a naturalist. Jaeger was well known for his work outside of the classroom. He conducted a lifetime of ecological research and can be credited with the discovery of hibernation in bird species through his observations of the Desert Poorwill. He was well respected and was invited to the White House on more than one occasion. In his spare time, Jaeger hosted annual palavers and was a member of various nature and wildlife conservation committees. Jaeger spent the majority of his life in Riverside, CA where he became a respected member of the community.

Edmund Jaeger published books and pamphlets pertaining to nature and established a scholarship fund. Jaeger was one of the top desert ecologists and naturalists, he is often referred to as "the father of modern desert ecology." Jaeger passed his knowledge on to his students in the classroom and to the participants of the palavers he hosted annually starting in 1954 up until his death in 1983.