William H. Crawford | |
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.jpg) Portrait,c. 1823 | |
| GeorgiaState Superior Court Judge | |
| In office 1827 – September 15, 1834 | |
| Appointed by | George Troup |
| 7thUnited States Secretary of the Treasury | |
| In office October 22, 1816 – March 6, 1825 | |
| President | James Madison James Monroe John Quincy Adams |
| Preceded by | Alexander Dallas |
| Succeeded by | Richard Rush |
| 9thUnited States Secretary of War | |
| In office August 1, 1815 – October 22, 1816 | |
| President | James Madison |
| Preceded by | James Monroe |
| Succeeded by | John C. Calhoun |
| 10thUnited States Minister to France | |
| In office March 23, 1813 – August 1, 1815 | |
| President | James Madison |
| Preceded by | Joel Barlow |
| Succeeded by | Albert Gallatin |
| President pro tempore of the United States Senate | |
| In office March 24, 1812 – March 23, 1813 | |
| Preceded by | John Pope |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Varnum |
| United States Senator fromGeorgia | |
| In office November 7, 1807 – March 23, 1813 | |
| Preceded by | George Jones |
| Succeeded by | William Bulloch |
| Member of theGeorgia House of Representatives | |
| In office 1803–1807 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Harris Crawford (1772-02-24)February 24, 1772 Amherst County, Virginia, British America |
| Died | September 15, 1834(1834-09-15) (aged 62) Lexington Depot, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican (1803–1828) Democratic (1828–1834) |
| Spouse | Susanna Gerardine |
| Children | 7 |
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William Harris Crawford (February 24, 1772 – September 15, 1834) was an Americanpolitician who served asU.S. Secretary of War andU.S. Secretary of the Treasury. He later ran forU.S. president in the1824 election.
Born inVirginia, Crawford moved toGeorgia with his parents at a young age, and he grew up to become one of the state’s most popular politicians. After studying law, Crawford won election to theGeorgia House of Representatives in 1803. He aligned with theDemocratic-Republican Party and U.S. SenatorJames Jackson. In 1807, the Georgia legislature elected Crawford to theU.S. Senate. After the death ofVice PresidentGeorge Clinton, Crawford's position aspresident pro tempore of the U.S. Senate made himfirst in the presidential line of succession from April 1812 to March 1813. In 1813, U.S. PresidentJames Madison appointed Crawford as the minister toFrance, and Crawford held that post for the remainder of theWar of 1812. After the war, Madison appointed him to the position of Secretary of War. In October 1816, Madison chose Crawford for the position of Secretary of the Treasury, and Crawford would remain in that office for the remainder of Madison's presidency and for the duration ofJames Monroe's presidency.
Although Crawford suffered a severe stroke in 1823, he sought to succeed Monroe in the 1824 election. Because of his roots in Virginia, Crawford received the support of theVirginia dynasty, but ongoing concerns about his health along with a changing political landscape made it impossible for him to become the fourth consecutive Virginia native to hold the office of president. The Democratic-Republican Party splintered into factions, as several others also sought the presidency. No candidate won a majority of the electoral vote and so theU.S. House of Representatives chose the president in acontingent election. Under the terms of theU.S. Constitution, the House selected from the three candidates who received the most electoral votes, which leftAndrew Jackson,John Quincy Adams, and Crawford in the running. The House selected Adams, who asked Crawford to remain as Treasury Secretary. Declining Adams's offer, Crawford returned to Georgia and accepted an appointment to thestate superior court.
Crawford considered running in the1832 presidential election for the presidency or the vice presidency but ultimately chose not to when fellow southerner Andrew Jackson sought a second term.
Crawford was born on February 24, 1772, in the portion ofAmherst County, Virginia, that later becameNelson County, the son of Joel Crawford and Fanny Harris, but at least one source has given his birthplace asTusculum, a house whose site remains in Amherst County.[1] He moved with his family toEdgefield County, South Carolina, in 1779 and toColumbia County, Georgia, in 1783. Crawford was educated at private schools in Georgia and atRichmond Academy inAugusta. After his father's death, Crawford became the family's main financial provider, and he worked on the Crawford family farm and taught school. He later studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1799 and began to practice inLexington. Also in 1799, Crawford was appointed by the state legislature to prepare a digest of Georgia's statutes.
He influenced Georgia politics for decades.[2] In 1803, Crawford was elected to theGeorgia House of Representatives as a member of theDemocratic-Republican Party, and he served until 1807. He allied himself with SenatorJames Jackson. Their enemies were the Clarkites, led byJohn Clark. In 1802, he shot and killed Peter Lawrence Van Alen, a Clark ally, in a duel. Four years later, on December 16, 1806, Crawford faced Clark himself in a duel, and Crawford's left wrist was shattered by a shot from Clark, but he eventually recovered.[3]
In 1807, Crawford joined the10th Congress as the juniorU.S. senator from Georgia when the Georgia legislature elected him to replaceGeorge Jones, who had held the office for a few months after the death ofAbraham Baldwin.
Crawford was elected President pro tempore of the Senate in March 1812 and, following the April 20, 1812, death of Vice President George Clinton, served as the permanentPresiding Officer of the Senate until March 4, 1813.
In 1811, Crawford declined to serve asSecretary of War in theMadison administration. In the Senate, he voted for several acts leading up to theWar of 1812 and supported the entry into the war, but he was ready for peace:[4] "Let it then be the wisdom of this nation to remain at peace, as long as peace is within its option."[5]
Throughout his service in the Senate, Crawford was described as a member of the older more traditional wing of theDemocratic-Republican Party, and he often focused on issues such asstates' rights, which he supported.[6]
In 1813, PresidentJames Madison appointed Crawford as theU.S. minister to France during the waning years of Napoleon'sFirst French Empire. Crawford served until 1815, shortly after the end of the Napoleonic Wars.[7]
Upon Crawford's return, Madison appointed him asSecretary of War on 1 August 1815. Crawford served more than a year in that post. He sought but narrowly failed to win the Democratic-Republican nomination for the1816 presidential race. Madison appointed himTreasury Secretary on 22 October 1816. He remained in that post for the rest of Madison's term and both terms of PresidentJames Monroe, until 6 March 1825. While Treasury Secretary he initiated the Reform Bill of 1817.[8]
The Congressional Caucus nominated Crawford for the1824 election. However, Crawford suffered a stroke in 1823 as a result of alobelia prescription given to him by his physician.[9] The Democratic-Republican Party was now split, and one of the splinter groups nominated Crawford. Despite improved health and the support of former Presidents Madison andThomas Jefferson, he finished third in the electoral vote, behind Senator and GeneralAndrew Jackson, hero of theBattle of New Orleans, and Secretary of StateJohn Quincy Adams. In the subsequent contingent election, the House elected Adams President.
Refusing Adams's request for him to remain at the Treasury, Crawford then returned to Georgia, where he was appointed as astate superior court judge. Crawford remained an active judge until his death, a decade later.
Crawford was nominated for vice president by the Georgia legislature in 1828 but withdrew after support from other states was not forthcoming. Crawford also considered running for vice president in 1832 but decided against it, in favor ofMartin Van Buren. Crawford also considered running for president again in 1832 but dropped the idea when Jackson decided to seek a second term.[10]
Crawford is buried at the site of his home, about half a mile west of the current Crawford city limit.
During the 1820s, Crawford was a member of the prestigious societyColumbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences, which had among its members former Presidents Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams.[11]
Crawford also served as a Vice President in theAmerican Colonization Society from its formation in 1817 to his death.
Crawford was a descendant of John Crawford (1600–1676), who had come toVirginia in 1643, but participated and died inBacon's Rebellion. John's son David Crawford I (1625–1698), was the father of David Crawford II (1662–1762), and the grandfather of David Crawford III (1697–1766). David Crawford III married Ann Anderson in 1727 and had 13 children, including Joel Crawford (1736–1788).
His cousin,George W. Crawford, served as Secretary of War under PresidentZachary Taylor.
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In 1875, Crawford appeared on the50 cents bill.
The following places are named in his honor:[12]
| U.S. Senate | ||
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| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Georgia 1807–1813 Served alongside:John Milledge,Charles Tait | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Baby of the Senate 1807–1810 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate 1812–1813 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of War 1815–1816 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of the Treasury 1816–1825 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | United States Minister to France 1813–1815 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic-Republican nominee forPresident of the United States¹ 1824 Served alongside:John Quincy Adams,Henry Clay,Andrew Jackson | Party abolished |
| Notes and references | ||
| 1. TheDemocratic-Republican Party split in the1824 election, fielding four separate candidates. | ||
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