William H. Crawford
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article is about the 19th century Georgia politician. For the 18th century U.S. military officer, see William Crawford (soldier).
| William Harris Crawford | |
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| In office August 1, 1815 – October 22, 1816 |
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| President | James Madison |
| Preceded by | James Monroe |
| Succeeded by | John C. Calhoun |
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| In office October 22, 1816 – March 6, 1825 |
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| President | James Madison (1816-1817) James Monroe (1817-1825) |
| Preceded by | Alexander J. Dallas |
| Succeeded by | Richard Rush |
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| Born | February 24, 1772 Amherst County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | September 15, 1834 (aged 62) Crawford, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Profession | Lawyer, Politician, Judge, Farmer, Teacher |
William Harris Crawford (February 24, 1772 – September 15, 1834) was an important American politician, as well as a judge, during the early 19th century. He served as United States Secretary of War from 1815 to 1816 and United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1816 to 1825, and was a candidate for President of the United States in 1824.
Crawford was born in Amherst County, Virginia, but his family moved south to Appling County, Georgia, when he was a boy. As a young man, he worked as a farmer and a schoolteacher for about 10 years, then began to practice law in Lexington, Georgia in 1799.
In 1803, Crawford was elected to the Georgia state legislature as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party. In 1807, that legislature elected him to fill a vacant United States Senate seat.
Crawford soon became a respected and influential senator, and was elected President pro tempore in 1811. On April 12, 1812 Vice President George Clinton died in office which made Crawford, as President pro tempore, the Acting Vice President until March 4, [1813]]. In recognition of his abilities, President James Madison appointed Crawford as the American minister to the First French Empire in 1812. Crawford held that important ministerial post throughout the War of 1812, and returned shortly after its end in 1815.
Upon Crawford's return, Madison appointed him as Secretary of War. After slightly more than a year of satisfactory service in that post (and after disclaiming interest in the 1816 Democratic-Republican nomination for President, which he could have had), Crawford moved within the Cabinet to become Secretary of the Treasury. He remained in that position through the rest of Madison's term and Monroe's entire administration which ended in 1825.
Crawford was again a leading candidate for the Democratic-Republican presidential nomination in 1824, but a massive stroke in 1823 ended his chances. The Democratic-Republican Party split apart that year, and one of the splinter groups nominated Crawford. Despite Crawford's improved health (and the support of former presidents Madison and Thomas Jefferson), he finished only third, behind John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. Refusing Adams's request that he remain at the Treasury, Crawford then retired to Georgia, where he was appointed as a state superior court judge.
Crawford remained an active judge until his death a decade later. He is buried in Crawford Cemetery in Crawford, Georgia.
His cousin, George W. Crawford, also served as Secretary of War under President Zachary Taylor.
[edit] Fractional currency
In 1875, Crawford appeared on the 50 cent bill.
[edit] Trivia
The town of Crawfordsville, Indiana, as well as Crawford County, Illinois; Crawford County, Iowa; Crawford County, Missouri; Crawford County, Arkansas; Crawford County, Wisconsin; Crawfordville, Georgia; and Crawford County, Georgia, are named for Crawford.
[edit] References
- Garraty, John A. and Mark C. Carnes. American National Biography, vol. 5, "Crawford, William Harris". New York : Oxford University Press, 1999.
| Preceded by George Jones |
United States Senator (Class 2) from Georgia 1807–1813 Served alongside: John Milledge, Charles Tait |
Succeeded by William B. Bulloch |
| Preceded by John Pope |
President pro tempore of the United States Senate March 24, 1812–March 23, 1813 |
Succeeded by Joseph Bradley Varnum |
| Preceded by Joel Barlow |
U.S. Minister to France 1813–1815 |
Succeeded by Albert Gallatin |
| Preceded by James Monroe |
United States Secretary of War 1815–1816 |
Succeeded by John C. Calhoun |
| Preceded by Alexander J. Dallas |
United States Secretary of the Treasury 1816–1825 |
Succeeded by Richard Rush |
| Preceded by James Monroe |
Democratic-Republican Party presidential candidate(1) 1824 (lost) |
Succeeded by (none) |
| Notes and references | ||
| 1. The Democratic-Republican Party split in 1824, fielding four separate candidates: Crawford, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and Henry Clay. | ||
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