George W. Crawford, Governor, U.S. Secretary of War

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Crawford

George Walker Crawford (December 22, 1798 – July 27, 1872) was a Georgia politician during the nineteenth century. He served as the 38th Governor of Georgia from 1843 to 1847 and United States Secretary of War 1849 to 1850. He was the cousin of William H. Crawford.

Early life

Crawford was born in Columbia County, Georgia, the fourth son of American Revolutionary War veteran Peter Crawford and Mary Ann Crawford. He graduated from the College of New Jersey with a Bachelor of Arts in 1820. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1822, starting practice in Augusta, Georgia with Henry Harford Cumming. He received a Master of Arts from Franklin College and in 1826 married Mary Ann Macintosh, orphaned daughter of John and Mary (McKinne)Macintosh. There were four children: William Peter Crawford; Sarah Macintosh Crawford who became the wife of Samuel Warren Mays; Anna Elizabeth Crawford; and Charles A. Crawford.

Attorney General of Georgia

Georgia Governor John Forsyth appointed Crawford attorney general of Georgia in 1827. The next year, Crawford challenged congressman Thomas E. Burnside to a duel over a series of accusations that Burnside published about Crawford's father. He shot Burnside dead, thus winning the fight. It did not affect his career and he continued to serve as attorney general until 1831.

Congressman

In 1837, Crawford was elected to the Georgia General Assembly as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. There, Crawford distinguished himself as a fiscal conservative. He was elevated to the United States House of Representatives as a Whig to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Richard W. Habersham. His term there was short, only serving from January 7 to March 3, 1843.

Governor of Georgia

He was elected Governor of Georgia, defeating Mark Anthony Cooper, becoming the only Whig to served a Georgia state governor. As governor, he helped expand the Western and Atlantic Railroad, redraw congressional maps and establish the Supreme Court of Georgia. He also focused on dismantling the Georgia Central Bank and reformed the state penitentiary to make it a more economically sound institution. In 1845, he won a second term.

Secretary of War

After General Zachary Taylor became President of the United States in 1849, he appointed Crawford Secretary of War. As War Secretary, he was involved in settling a claim from the United States government for the Galphin family, descendants of Native American trader George Galphin. He received a large share of the settlement for his services. He resigned with the rest of the Taylor administration in 1850 when Millard Fillmore became president after Taylor's sudden death in office.

Georgia Secession Convention and death

In 1861, Crawford was elected to represent Richmond County, Georgia in the Georgia State Secession Convention. Delegates selected Crawford as chairman for the proceedings and he oversaw the vote of secession. He died at his estate, located in the village of "Bel Air," near Augusta, Georgia on July 27, 1872. He was buried in the Summerville Cemetery located in Augusta.

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George W. Crawford, the sole Whig to serve as governor of Georgia, was elected to two terms from 1843 to 1847. Crawford also served as a Georgia state representative, state attorney general, a U.S. congressman, and the secretary of war under U.S. president Zachary Taylor. In 1861 Crawford came out of retirement to chair the state secession convention in Milledgeville.

Education and Early Career

Born on December 22, 1798, in Columbia County, George Walker Crawford was the fourth son of Mary Ann and Peter Crawford and a cousin to the better-known political figure William Harris Crawford, who was a presidential candidate in 1824. Crawford's father was a Revolutionary War (1775-83) veteran in Virginia who had moved to Georgia to settle on a piece of land he received for his military service. He received a Bachelor of Arts at the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University). After passing the bar in Georgia, he set up a law practice in Augusta with Henry Cumming, who later became known for promoting and overseeing the construction of the Augusta Canal. Crawford eventually earned a Master of Arts from the University of Georgia, and in 1826 he married Mary Ann Macintosh.

Governor John Forsyth appointed Crawford to fill a vacant spot as attorney general of Georgia in 1827. The next year, Crawford instigated a duel with Thomas Burnside over a series of accusations that Burnside published about Crawford's father. Crawford shot Burnside dead, but the incident would not inhibit his political career. Despite the controversy, he continued as attorney general until 1831. In 1837 Richmond County voters elected him to the state legislature under the States' Rights ticket. During his five terms in office, Crawford distinguished himself as a fiscal conservative. In 1842 he won a vacant seat, as a Whig, in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he spent a quiet year in Congress.

Governor

In an attempt to capitalize on Crawford's electoral success, the Georgia Whig Party unanimously chose him to represent it in the 1843 gubernatorial election. Thanks in part to divisions within the Democratic Party in Georgia, Crawford defeated Mark Anthony Cooper to become the only Whig to occupy the Governor's Mansion. During his first term (1843-45), Crawford focused on dismantling the state's Central Bank, but he also helped to expand railroad construction and reformed the state penitentiary to make it a more economically sound institution. Crawford won a second term as governor in 1845, despite Henry Clay's failure to carry the state for the Whigs in the previous year's presidential election. The governor used the next two years to continue the programs from his first term. He also persuaded the state legislature to pass a law that created the Supreme Court of Georgia. Crawford's concentration on local issues was due in part to the Georgia Whigs' division over national issues.

Later Career

Crawford chose not to run for a third term as governor, and in 1849 President Taylor appointed him secretary of war. A scandal tainted Crawford's time in the cabinet, however. While in office, he was involved in settling a claim from the government for the Galphin family (descendants of Indian trader George Galphin) and received a large share of the settlement for his services. In the midst of accusations and the sudden death of President Taylor in 1850, Crawford resigned from office and retired from public life for a decade. In 1861 he was elected to represent Richmond County at Georgia's secession convention. At the convention, the delegates selected Crawford as chairman for the proceedings, and he oversaw the vote of secession. Following the convention, Crawford retired to Richmond County, where he died on July 27, 1872.