Winthrop Murray Crane | |
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| United States Senator fromMassachusetts | |
| In office October 12, 1904 – March 3, 1913 | |
| Preceded by | George F. Hoar |
| Succeeded by | John W. Weeks |
| 40th Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office January 4, 1900 – January 8, 1903 | |
| Lieutenant | John L. Bates |
| Preceded by | Roger Wolcott |
| Succeeded by | John L. Bates |
| 37thLieutenant Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office 1897–1900 | |
| Governor | Roger Wolcott |
| Preceded by | Roger Wolcott |
| Succeeded by | John L. Bates |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1853-04-23)April 23, 1853 Dalton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | October 2, 1920(1920-10-02) (aged 67) Dalton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Benner (1880—84) Josephine Porter Boardman (1884—1920) |
| Children | Winthrop Murray Crane II Stephen Crane Bruce Crane Louise Crane |
| Signature | .png) |
Winthrop Murray Crane (commonly referred to asW. Murray Crane or simplyMurray Crane; April 23, 1853 – October 2, 1920) was an American businessman and Republican Party politician who served as the 40thgovernor of Massachusetts from 1900 to 1903 and represented that state in theUnited States Senate from 1904 to 1913.
In 1879, he secured his family company, paper manufacturerCrane & Co., an exclusive government contract to supply the paper for United States currency, a monopoly the company holds to this day. During the 1890s he became increasingly active in stateRepublican politics, and became a dominant figure in the local, state, and national party. He was successively elected the 37thlieutenant governor of Massachusetts (in 1896) and 40th governor (in 1899). In 1904, he was appointed to theUnited States Senate and served until 1913.
Crane advised PresidentsTheodore Roosevelt andWilliam Howard Taft. His success as Governor in defusing aTeamsters strike prompted Roosevelt to bring him in as a negotiator to resolve theCoal Strike of 1902. He refused repeated offers for cabinet-level positions and was known to dislike campaigning and giving speeches. Near the end of his career, he served as a political mentor to future PresidentCalvin Coolidge, who was elected vice president one month after Crane's death.
Winthrop Murray Crane was born inDalton, Massachusetts on April 23, 1853. His mother was Louise Fanny Laflin. His father, Zenas Marshall Crane, was owner of theCrane Paper Company, a dominant economic force in the small community and a major producer of paper products.
In 1870, Crane entered the family business and, with his brother Zenas Jr., presided over a period of significant growth of the company.
In 1872, Crane secured a major contract for the supply of wrapping paper to theWinchester Repeating Arms Company, and followed this up in 1879, with an exclusive contract to paper for theFederal Reserve Notes, the currency of theUnited States. The Crane Company continues to be the sole supplier of currency paper to the federal government today.
The company continued to grow throughout the 1890s, and Crane amassed a significant fortune by investing in theOtis Elevator Company and inAmerican Telephone and Telegraph Company.[1]
In 1892, Crane was elected as a delegate to theRepublican National Convention as a candidate of the "Young Republican Club," a faction of MassachusettsRepublicans, organized in 1888, who would come to dominate the state party apparatus and political landscape.[2]
After the convention, Crane was elected Chairman of theMassachusetts Republican Party. Although he was from western Massachusetts, he was viewed by the party's mainly eastern leadership as a "safe" and moderate choice, who would be good at fundraising.[3] Although Crane was politically conservative, he was adept at negotiating the differences between the wings of the party and refused to become deeply entrenched into either the progressive or conservative wing.[4] He was also well known as a somewhat taciturn politician, who did not make stump speeches while campaigning, and is not recorded as having made speeches on the floors of the legislative bodies in which he served.[5]
In 1896, Crane was electedLieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, serving under another Young Republican,Roger Wolcott. The office was part of a traditionalcursus honorum in Massachusetts Republican politics, with the next step being the Governorship. When Wolcott retired after his traditional third one-year term, Crane ran for Governor. He won a comfortable victory against a disorganized Democratic opposition and was reelected the next two years by wide margins.[6]
Crane's tenure as governor was marked by fiscal conservatism, business-like management, and relatively little reform. His leadership was characterized as non-partisan and was viewed with favor even by Democrats.
In 1902, Crane successfully negotiated a Teamsters strike,[7] and was then called in by PresidentTheodore Roosevelt to mediate the1902 Coal Strike, which threatened national winter coal supplies.[8]
He vetoed legislative authorization of a merger between theBoston Elevated Railway and theWest End Street Railway, in part because it did not contain a clause calling for a referendum by the affected populations.[9] He did, however, sign legislation authorizing the lease of theFitchburg Railroad to theBoston and Maine Railroad, and of theBoston and Albany Railroad to theNew York Central Railroad. Crane was a major shareholder in the New York Central.[5]
Crane was hosting President Roosevelt inPittsfield on September 3, 1902, when a speedingtrolley carrammed into the open-airhorse carriage carrying Roosevelt. The accident killed the president'sSecret Service agent,William Craig.
Crane was appointed October 12, 1904 by GovernorJohn L. Bates to continue the U.S. Senate term of the lateGeorge F. Hoar.[10] He was then elected in a January 18, 1905 special election to finish the term.[11] He was re-elected in 1907 and served until 1913.
As Senator, Crane was famous for his lack of public statements and behind-the-scenes maneuvering. Senator from New YorkChauncey Depew wrote that Crane "never made a speech. I do not remember that he made a motion. Yet he was the most influential member of that body."[12]Calvin Coolidge observed that "his influence was very great, but that it was of an intangible nature."[12] He was also known to often choose inaction over action on many matters, with a common answer to requests for advice being "Do nothing.[1] As U.S. Senator, he used his influence to help secure the state's approval of a merger of the Boston and Maine with theNew York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.[13]
He was an opponent ofreciprocity (reduced tariffs) withCanada and theDominion of Newfoundland, working to water down provisions of a proposed treaty.[14]
In 1905, Crane may have been instrumental in denying DemocratWilliam L. Douglas a second term as governor. Douglas, a successful and widely-known shoe manufacturer, won election in 1904 with labor support and high name recognition.[15] According toCharles S. Hamlin, Republicans discovered that Douglas had apparently fraudulently acquired anhonorable discharge after deserting during the Civil War. Thequid pro quo for this information not being revealed, supposedly engineered by Crane and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, was that Douglas would not run again.[16]
In the1908 presidential election, Crane expressed early support forWilliam Howard Taft, but later came to oppose Taft, believing him a weak candidate. This placed him in opposition to fellow SenatorHenry Cabot Lodge, a strong Taft supporter, in a struggle for control of the state delegation tothe national convention. Crane preferred to leave the delegates without formal instruction as to how they should vote, while Lodge preferred that they be required to pledge for Taft. Crane won Lodge's support for an uncommitted delegation in exchange for the election ofJohn Davis Long, a Taft supporter, as an at-large delegate.[17] Crane ultimately reconciled with both Taft and Lodge. He became one of Taft's closest advisors after his election and worked to secure Lodge's reelection in 1911.[18]
In the 1912 general election, the Republican Party was divided byRoosevelt's defection, and conservative elements of the party dominated the state legislature's caucus. This resulted in the election in early 1913 of the ultraconservativeJohn W. Weeks over Crane for the Senate seat.[19]
In 1880, Crane married Mary Benner. She died in 1884 giving birth to their only child, Winthrop Murray Crane Jr.
In 1906, Crane married socialiteJosephine Porter Boardman. She was 20 years his junior and from a politically connected family. They had three children:
Crane died at his home in Dalton on October 2, 1920.[20]
| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Massachusetts 1899,1900,1901 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Roger Wolcott | Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts 1897–1900 | Succeeded by John L. Bates |
| Preceded by | Governor of Massachusetts 1900–1903 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from Massachusetts 1904–1913 Served alongside:Henry Cabot Lodge | Succeeded by |
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