William Harris Crawford (1772 - 1834)

Born 24 Feb 1772 in Amherst, Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Susannah Giradin — married 28 Apr 1804 in Richmond County, Georgia, USA

Descendants

Died 15 Sep 1834 at age 62 in Crawford, Oglethorpe, Georgia, United States

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William Crawford is Notable.

Preceded by John Pope Preceded by 8th Secretary James Monroe Preceded by 6th Secretary Alexander J. Dallas Preceded by George Jones

William H. Crawford President pro tempore of the US Senate 1812—1813 9th United States Secretary of War 1815—1816 7th United States Secretary of the Treasury 1816—1825 US Senator (Class 2) from Georgia 1807—1813

Succeeded by Joseph Bradley Varnum Succeeded by 10th Secretary John C. Calhoun Succeeded by 8th Secretary Richard Rush Succeeded by William Bellinger Bulloch

Biography

William Harris Crawford was a partner in legal practice with John Dandridge Bibb in Georgia. John named a son of his William Crawford Bibb and William named a son of his William Bibb Crawford.

Crawford was involved in two duels, killing one man.^[1]

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.^{[2] [3]}

See William H Perkins correspondence with Thomas Jefferson and others at Founders Online.

Timeline

1772

• Born 24 Feb 1772 in Amherst, Virginia

1786

• Moved with his family to Georgia

1793

• Moved out of his family home

1794

• Placed himself under the instruction of Rev. Dr. Waddell for purpose of learning Law

1799 - 1803

• Began to practice Law at the Bar
• Became outspoken politically
  • Participated in many quarrels and two duels
  • The first duel he shot Peter L. Van Alen on July 31st at 11am in 1802 (Peter died 38 hours later)
  • The second duel occurred at a later date against a different opponent which left his wrist injured as it had been shot
  • Supported Thomas Jefferson for President

1804

• Elected to Georgia State Legislature

1807

• Elected to the U.S. Senate

1811

• Supported the creation of a United States Bank

1812

• Became President pro tempore of the United States Senate

1813

• Left the United States Senate and became Minister to France

1815

• Became United States Secretary of War

1816

• Nominated for President of the United States by members of Congress
• He declined the nomination but still received 54 votes out of 119 in the House of Representatives
• Became Secretary of the Treasury of the United States where he served until 1825

1824

• Nominated and accepted a run for President of the United States in which he carried: Virginia, Georgia and partial votes from Delaware, New York and Maryland

1831

• Returned to Georgia and became a circuit judge

1834

• Died 15 Sep 1834 in Oglethorpe, Georgia

  Timeline Reference^[4]

Legacy

Cities and towns named in honor of William Harris Crawford: Crawford, Georgia, Crawfordville, Georgia, and Crawfordsville, Indiana

Seven states have named counties in honor of William Harris Crawford: Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin.

In 1875 Crawford is depicted on the United States fractional currency, 50 cent bill.

William H. Crawford bio 1

William H. Crawford bio 2

William H. Crawford bio 3

^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ Amherst County Historical Society, The Muse, Amherst County, Virginia, Volume 47, Number 2, Spring/Summer/Fall 2022, pg. 1.
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Crawford
3. ↑ United States presidential election, 1824
4. ↑ Memoirs of Georgia containing historical accounts of the State's civil, military, industrial and professional interests, and personal sketches of many of its people
5. ↑ "Memoirs of Georgia, Volume 1", The Southern Historical Association, Atlanta, Georgia, 1895, pg 240-242.

See also:

• Dodd, Jordan. "Georgia Marriages to 1850." Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997.
• Find A Grave: Memorial #9103117
• The Honorable Senator
• The Statesman, The Patriot ,The Would Be President
• Tuscalum
• Southwick, Leslie H., 1950-. Presidential Also-rans And Running Mates, 1788 Through 1996. 2nd ed. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1998.