Michael Crawford

March 15, 1827 (age 49)

Titusville, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States of America

He was elected to Congress in 1864 as a War Democrat, having vigorously opposed the Copperhead element in his district. Kerr served in the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat from Indiana from 1865 to 1873. In Congress he was looked upon as one of the leaders of the Democratic party. He strongly opposed the Republican policy of Reconstruction in the Southern States. He was not re-elected in 1872. His hard money views on financial questions did not meet with favor in his agrarian constituency, where he openly antagonized the inflationists and the Greenback element and favored the resumption of specie payments. He presided as Speaker at only the first session of the Forty-fourth Congress and died of consumption shortly after its adjournment.

Michael Crawford

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United States representative politician

Background

He was born at Titusville, Pennsylvania and educated at the Erie Academy.

Education

He graduated from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1851.

Career

He was elected to Congress in 1864 as a War Democrat, having vigorously opposed the Copperhead element in his district. Kerr served in the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat from Indiana from 1865 to 1873. In Congress he was looked upon as one of the leaders of the Democratic party.

He strongly opposed the Republican policy of Reconstruction in the Southern States.

He was not re-elected in 1872. His hard money views on financial questions did not meet with favor in his agrarian constituency, where he openly antagonized the inflationists and the Greenback element and favored the resumption of specie payments.

He presided as Speaker at only the first session of the Forty-fourth Congress and died of consumption shortly after its adjournment.

Achievements

He won the praise of Republican governor Morton for helping suppress illegal conspiracies by Copperheads. In 1874, however, after a sharp contest he won the seat back, and on his re-entry into Congress was elected to the speakership.

Membership

He moved to New Albany, Indiana in 1852 and was a member of the State Legislature in 1856 to 1857.

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