Background
William Carey Crane was born in Richmond, Virginia, on March 17, 1816.
(Excerpt from Life and Select Literary Remains of Sam Hous...)
Excerpt from Life and Select Literary Remains of Sam Houston of Texas: Two Vols, in One In the year 1865, Mrs. Margaret M. Houston (widow of Gen. Sam Houston), with whom I had become acquainted at Marion, Ala., in August, 1839, when she was Miss Lea, requested me to undertake to write the life and edit and publish the literary remains of her husband. I did not then feel competent to the task, especially as I had only seen the General twice in my life, once at the President's house in 1846, and again on the floor of the U. S. Senate in 1852; on both occasions while I was with our mutual friend, Hon. Stephen Adams, M. C. from Mississippi. With reluctance I consented, in the belief that the parties to whom she referred me for aid and information would give me their assistance. None of these parties have, to this day, given me any aid, except two; to whom due credit has been given in this work. All counselled delay. An extract from one of the gentlemen named as my counsellor and assistant, will account in some measure for delay. It is dated March 23, 1866: "It does not seem to me that there is any pressing urgency to present the Life and Labors of Gen. Houston to the world. It is true that they will possess a paramount interest so long as the Republic, or State, or Country of Texas, whichever it may be, shall possess an interest for men; yet even in this view there is an advantage in bringing out a book in an opportune time. At the present time every mind that thinks is powerfully, often painfully preoccupied with the strange, anomalous, grave condition of our affairs, with the uncertainty of our future and of that of the gigantic Government of the United States." The writer of the letter from which this extract is taken referred me to my old schoolmate and fellow-townsman in Richmond, Va., Major James W. Scott, of Houston, and Washington D Miller, Esq., the admirable private secretary of Gen. Houston. Both of these gentlemen have passed away; but each did all he could to put me in possession of needed information. From Mrs. Houston I had one positive injunction; which was, to have at least one chapter setting forth Gen. Houston's religious, character; which I have given. I have consulted the following authorities: 1. "Private Records of Sam Houston's Administration of the Presidency of the Republic, from 1841 to 1844." A most important written volume, the most valuable of Houston's literary remains. 2. C. Edwards Lester's "Houston and his Republic." 3. Hon. Ashbel Smith's "Reminiscences of the Texas Republic." 4. Col. V. O. King's "Battle of San Jacinto viewed from American and Mexican Stand-points." About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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William Carey Crane was born in Richmond, Virginia, on March 17, 1816.
He attended the Mount Pleasant Classical Institute in Amherst, Massachusetts, and Virginia Baptist Seminary, now known as Richmond College. In 1883, he attended the Hamilton Literary and Theological Institute and Madison, now known as Colgate University.
In 1836, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Columbian College, now known as George Washington University, followed by an Master of Arts in 1839. From 1837 to 1839, Crane taught in Talbotton, Georgia, and preached in Thomaston and Greenville. He also preached at Mercer University.
In 1838, he became a Baptist minister in Baltimore, Maryland.
In 1839, he preached at the First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. In the 1840s, he served as a pastor in Columbus, Vicksburg, and Yazoo City.
In 1844, he was a professor at Union University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and he edited The Baptist with Royal British Colonial Society of Artists Howell for two years in Nashville. He served as President of Mississippi Female College in Hernando from 1851 to 1857, Semple Broaddus College in Centre Hill, Mississippi from 1859 to 1860, and Mount Lebanon College in Louisiana from 1860 to 1863.
He was co-editor of the Louisiana Baptist and President of the Louisiana Baptist State Convention.
He served as a pastor in Centre Hill, Coldwater, Oxford, Mississippi and New Connah, Tennessee. He was also an editor of the Mississippi Baptist. He was the cofounder and Vice-President of the Mississippi State Historical Society.
He served as the general agent of the American Tract Society for two years.
In 1863, he served as Pastor at the First Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. From 1864 to 1885, he was the President of Baylor University.
He served as the pastor of the Independence Baptist Church for eighteen years from 1864 to 1867, and again from 1869 to 1884. He was also active in the Texas Baptist State Convention.
Baylor presidency
In 1863, Baylor"s trustees offered Crane the Baylor presidency with an annual salary of $3,000.
During his tenure in office, he put considerable time into fundraising for Baylor, and also put his personal wealth, estimated at $7,000 to $10,000, into his attempts to strengthen the university and give it a permanent place in Independence. His attempts to garner financial support from Baptist organizations brought him into conflict with Rufus Burleson, then president of Waco University. This feud would last throughout Crane"s term in office until his eventual death.
Crane died in office February 27, 1885.
Crane County, Texas and Crane, Texas, are named for him.
(Excerpt from Life and Select Literary Remains of Sam Hous...)
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He was also a member of the American Philological Association.