Background
Samuel Johnson Crawford was born on April 15, 1835, on a farm near Bedford, Indiana, United States. He was of Scotch-Irish descent, the son of James and Jane (Morrow) Crawford.
(Originally published in 1911. This volume from the Cornel...)
Originally published in 1911. This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies. All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume.
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Samuel Johnson Crawford was born on April 15, 1835, on a farm near Bedford, Indiana, United States. He was of Scotch-Irish descent, the son of James and Jane (Morrow) Crawford.
Samuel attended the public schools in Bedford and later read law there in an office. He was admitted to the bar in 1856 at the age of twenty-one. Desiring better preparation he entered the Cincinnati Law School, from which he was graduated two years later.
In 1859 Crawford moved to Garnett, Kansas, and began the practise of his profession. In November of that year he was elected a member of the first state legislature, which did not convene, however, until March 26, 1861, two months after Kansas attained statehood. After six weeks of service he resigned his seat in the legislature to become captain of a company assigned to duty with the 2nd Kansas Volunteer Infantry. He served under General Lyoii in southwestern Missouri and took part in the battle of Wilson’s Creek in August 1861.
In March 1862 he was transferred to the 2nd Kansas Cavalry and soon given command of a battalion in that regiment. He served with gallantry and success under General Blunt in Missouri and Arkansas in the fall and early winter of 1862. A year later he became colonel of the second regiment of Kansas Colored Infantry. In July 1864 he conducted an expedition through the Indian territory and later took part in the campaign against the Confederate General Price who led a raid into Missouri and southeastern Kansas.
Crawford’s military record attracted the attention of the people of his state and on September 8, 1864, he was nominated for governor by the Republican party. Two months later he was elected by a majority of 4, 939 votes in a total of 22, 335. On December 2, 1864, he resigned his military commission and five weeks later was sworn into office, being at that time less than thirty years of age. In March 1865 he was made brevet brigadier-general of volunteers “for meritorious services. ” Toward the end of his first term as governor he was nominated again and reelected by a large majority.
In the summer of 1868 Indians began to raid the frontier settlements of Kansas. As the season advanced the savages became bolder and their incursions more destructive. Men were killed, women and children made captives, buildings burned, and stock driven off. On October 10 Governor Crawford issued a call for the enlistment of a regiment of cavalry for frontier service. On November 4—two months before the expiration of his second term of office—he resigned the governorship to become commander of the new regiment known as the 19th Kansas Cavalry. The campaign against the Indians was entirely successful and the captives were recovered. This ended his military career and his direct participation in Kansas politics.
The last half-century of his life was spent in civil pursuits, farming, the practise of law, and acting as claim agent for his state at Washington. His book, Kansas in the Sixties, was published in 1911. It deals chiefly with events in which Crawford was a participant. For a short time prior to his death he was the only surviving war governor in the Northern states.
American Civil War was recognized for his service in the Union army during the American Civil War. He entered the war as a Captain in the 2nd Kansas Volunteer Infantry and rose to the rank of Brigadier General of US Volunteers in 1865. During his tenure as a governor of Kansas, much useful and important legislation was enacted and the interests of the young state were greatly advanced.
(Originally published in 1911. This volume from the Cornel...)
Crawford was a member of the Republican Party.
On November 27, 1866, Crawford was married to Isabel M. Chase of Topeka.
