Stephen Crane (delegate)

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For the writer and poet see: Stephen Crane.

Stephen Crane (1709 – July 1, 1780) was an American politician from Elizabethtown (Elizabeth, New Jersey) who was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1776. He also served in the state’s general assembly and governor’s council. Crane was part of the Congressional delegation that opposed separation from Great Britain which caused the state’s provincial congress to replace their entire delegation in June of 1776.

Crane was born in Elizabethtown. He served as sheriff of Essex County and was elected as a member of its town committee in 1750. He was also a judge of the court of common pleas. From 1766 to 1773, he was a member of the colony's general assembly 1766-1773 and served as speaker in 1771. He was also mayor of Elizabethtown before he became a member of the Continental Congress. Until his death in 1780, Crane held a several public offices in New Jersey.