Dallas County AlArchives Biographies.....Craig, George H. December 25 1815 - living in 1893 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/alfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ann Anderson alabammygrammy@aol.com May 19, 2004, 7:47 pm Author: Brant & Fuller (1893) HON. GEORGE H. CRAIG.-This young and brilliant attorney-at-law of Selma, was born in Cahaba, Dallas county, Ala., December 25, 1845, and is a son of James D. and Elvira S. (Berry) Craig, natives of South Carolina and Mississippi, and of Scotch-Irish and Welsh descent, respectively. James D. Craig was a lawyer by profession. He served as clerk of the circuit court of Dallas county, when a young man, and subsequently returned to his practice in Selma, which he followed until 1874, when he went to San Francisco, Cal., where he died in 1882, at the age of eighty-three years, filling, at the time of his death, the office of master and examiner in chancery. George H. Craig had been for two years a student of the university of Alabama, when the Civil war came on. He was then sixteen years of age, but he at once became a volunteer in a ninety-day regiment of Alabama infantry, commanded by Hon. William E. Byrd. He remained with his regiment, however, for eight months, the last two of which he held the rank of commissary sergeant. To prevent his re-entering the army, young Craig was sent by his father to the university of Alabama, where he was incarcerated, at it were, from 1863 to June, 1864, when he was mustered into the cadet corps of Selma, of which, a month later, he was made orderly sergeant. The cadets served as a part of the state troops at Pollard, Ala., then on the gulf coast at and near Blakely, Ga., and in the fall were ordered back to the college at Tuscaloosa; in December, 1864, they were garrisoned at Mobile, Mr. Craig having risen to the rank of first lieutenant. Again they were ordered back to Tuscaloosa, and during the attack on that city by the Federals, Lieut. Craig had command of one skirmishing wing. On the disbandment of the cadets, Lieut. Craig joined Gen. John T. Morgan's escort, and surrendered with him at Meridian, Miss. After the war had closed Mr. Craig settled in Selma and studied law, under private tutors, was admitted to the bar in December, 1867, and began practice as a member of the law firm of White, Portis & Craig, the style being subsequently changed to that of White & Craig. One year later, at the age of twenty-three, Mr. Craig was appointed, by the governor, sheriff of Dallas county, and held the office twelve months. The following year, 1869, he was elected judge of the criminal court of Dallas county, by the republican party, filled the office four and one-half years, and then resigned, to accept the gubernatorial appointment as judge of the first judicial circuit of Alabama. The following November his party elected him to succeed himself for a term of six years. At the expiration of his term he was re-nominated, but declined to make a second race, preferring to return to private practice. In 1882 he was nominated by the republicans as their candidate for congress from the fourth district of Alabama, and was elected by 12,000 majority, but his seat was contested, and it was not until after a fight of two years' duration that he was permitted to take his place in the forty-eighth congress. In 1884 he was re-elected by the same large majority, but he claims was counted out. March 1, 1885, he was appointed, by President Arthur, United States district attorney for northern and middle Alabama, held the position till July of this same year, and was then displaced by the Cleveland administration. From that time until the present he has devoted himself to law practice, and has enjoyed a most prosperous business as senior of the firm of Craig & Craig. Mr. Craig was united in matrimony, April 8, 1868, with Miss Alvira White, daughter of ex-judge John White, of the circuit court, and niece of ex-Congressman Alexander White of Alabama. Additional Comments: from "Memorial Record of Alabama", Vol. I, p. 854-856 Published by Brant & Fuller (1893) Madison, WI This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/alfiles/ File size: 4.3 Kb