Georgia   Biographies   William Harris Crawford
File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by 
Barbara Winge barbarawinge@yahoo.com

http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm Georgia Table of Contents:


  WILLIAM HARRIS CRAWFORD

Hon. William Harris Crawford was born in Nelson County,
Virginia, 24th February, 1772.  In 1779 his father
removed, with his family, to Stevens creek, Edgefield
District, South Carolina, about 30 miles above Augusta.
The next winter, the British troops, having captured
Savannah, and taken possession of Augusta, Mr. Crawford
returned north, over Broad river, into Chester district. 
Soon all South Carolina was overrun by the British, and
he was seized and thrown into Camden jail, as a rebel.
Here he remained the greatest part of the summer, and was
released on some of his loyal neighbors becoming his
security.  In 1783 he removed into Georgia, and settled
on Kiokee creek, where he died in October, 1788, aged 53.

We have followed young Crawford eleven years of his life,
to show that he had no opportunity hardly to education.
He went, however, a few months to school, while his
parents resided in South Carolina, and discovered
uncommon capacity to receive instruction; so much so,
that when permanently settled in Georgia, his father
determined to send him to Scotland, and give him a
thorough education.  He made arrangements with a Scotch
merchant in Augusta, for supplying his son with funds
during his residence at the University; but the merchant,
in a fit of derangement, having attempted to cut his own
throat, Mr. Crawford thought it unsafe to entrust him
with funds, and with the superintendence of his son.
Having abandoned the idea of sending his son abroad, he
put him to school in the county, and gave him the best
English education he could, and then set him to teaching
school in 1788.  Before this year expired, however, his
father died, and the disease (probably the small pox)
which carried him off, swept away also most of the
valuable slaves owned by the family, and reduced them to
very narrow circumstances.  In order to assist his mother
in supporting a large and almost helpless family, young
Crawford taught school, more or less, for three or four
years. In 1794, Rev. Dr. Waddel opened a Latin school in
Columbia, called Carmel Academy.  The desire of obtaining
a classical education, which, had been lost sight of
since his father’s death, now revived, and young Crawford
entered the Academy, and remained in it two years,
studying the usual Latin and Greek authors Philosophy,
and the French.  The last year he was an usher in the
school, and received for his services one-third of the
tuition money.  In 1796 and ‘7, he was English teacher in
the Richmond Academy, and in ’98 appointed Rector of that
institution, the successor of Judges Griffin and Tate.
During his residences in Augusta he purchased books and
studied the law, to the practice of which he was admitted
in 1798; so that he is a self-taught law scholar.

I have minutely followed Mr. Crawford along through the
vale of poverty discharging the duties of fraternal
affection, and supporting an aged parent, till by the
strength of his own mind, he begins to rise and soar to
that eminence which he has since reached;  I have done
this to show his young countrymen, that there is no
mountain which application cannot climb, and no obstacle
which industry cannot remove.  Let no young man,
buffetting the stream of adversity, be discouraged in his
attempts to acquire an education, or render himself
respected and useful to his country.

Why is it that school-keeping is so disreputable an
employment in our State?  It would be well if it could be
rescued from the odium attached to it.  Why is it that
not one in fifty of the graduates of our College engage
in the useful, but little=esteemed task of “rearing the
young idea how to shoot?”  If learning is honorable, you
cannot separate the teacher from a share in it.  But how
inconsistent is it in parents to desire their children to
rise to stations of honor, and yet provide no means for
their permanent education!  We must instruct ourselves;
and for this purpose we must engage in the low calling of
school masters; low with us, because we have a foolish
pride on this subject; but not low, where learning is
more justly appreciated.  In Scotland, the teacher of a
common school is idolized by the whole neighborhood; and
so it is in some other parts of the world.  A pretty good
thermometer to the state of learning in a country, is the
respect paid to those who instruct the youth of that
country.  If they are considered disreputable, on account
of their profession, education will be but little
desired.  The very house in which Milton, the greatest
poet that ever lived, taught boys, can now be pointed out
in London.

If it be said that out teacher are not well educated, and
sometime immoral, how, let it be asked, shall we have
better, unless we encourage the profession, and throw out
inducements to make them so?  Let the graduates of our
College take up this business, and they can wipe away the
odium attached to it.  What kind of knowledge for the
duties of a legislator, will be obtained in an old field
school?  It is a subject of gratulation, that several of
the last graduating class are now in respectable
Academies; and we hope the number of good teachers will
increase, till education shall be more generally defused
among us.

In the spring of 1799, Mr. Crawford removed into
Oglethorpe county, and commenced the practice of the law
in what was then called the Western Circuit.  Here he
attracted the notice of Peter Early, then at the head of
his profession in the upper country, and who had formed a
favorable opinion of his legal and classical attainments.
-  After Mr. Early went to Congress, in 1802, Mr.
Crawford might be said to stand at the head of the bar,
in this section.  Oglethorpe called him four years to
represent her in the Legislature, and she always found in
him an able representative.  In 1807, he was elected for
six years to the Senate of the United States; and in 1811
re-elected without opposition.  In 1813 he was sent, by
President Madison, Minister to the Court of St. Cloud.
Dr. Jackson, long the enlightened and amiable Professor
in our University, was the Secretary of Legation.  On his
return from France, in 1815, he found that he had been
appointed Secretary at War.  In October, 1816, he was
appointed Secretary of the Treasury, by Mr. Madison, and
was re-appointed to the same office by Mr. Monroe, in
1817.  This office he held until 3rd of March, 1825, when
he resigned, having previously declined to accept the
office under Mr. Adams.

He sustained an honorable poll from the Electoral
College, in 1825, for President of the United States,
having received 45 votes; and had it not been for severe
indisposition, it is believed by many, he would have been
elected.

In 1827, after the death of Judge Dooly, he was
appointed, without solicitation, by Governor Troup, Judge
of the Northern Circuit; and in 1828, the Legislature
elected him to the same office, without opposition.

He has resided since 1799, except when abroad,
discharging the duties to which his country has called
hi, at his country seat, called “Wood Lawn,” three miles
west Lexington, near the road to Athens.  Most of this
time he has been an active trustee of out College.  Like
other great men, he has had his enemies, and it would be
an anomaly in the natural course of politics if he were
without them.

An interesting sketch of Mr. Crawford’s private life,
while at Washington, is found in the Richmond, “Southern
Literary Messenger.”

He died suddenly, in Elbert, September, 1834, on his way
to preside at court.

Ref:  Sherwood, Adiel, A GAZETTEER OF THE STATE OF
GEORGIA, 1837, Printed by P. Force, Washington City,  pp.
266-269.

CRAWFORD COUNTY 

Laid out in 1822.  Part set off to Upson in 1824.  The
Old Agency Reserve added 1826.  Part taken from Talbot
and Marion 1827; and a part taken from Houston 1830.
Named after the Hon. William H. Crawford. The Flint River
is the only stream of any magnitude. KNOXVILLE is the
seat of justice, distant from Milledgeville fifty-two
miles. Among the early settlers were,  John Hancock,
William Hancock, H. B. Troutman, Stephen Wright, Benjamin
Beland, John S. Brooks, Henry Bradford, Samuel Dukes,
Benjamin Lightfoot, Elisha P. Turner, Willis Taylor,
William Richardson, Matthew J. Jordan, Benjamin Dickson,
James Lang,, William Zaigler, W. C. Cleveland, Mancel
Hancock, T. D. Hammock, S. D. Burnett, Green P.
Culverhouse, John Culverhouse, William Simmons, Geo. R.
Hunter, James Clark, John Perry, John Dent, Ezekiel Hall,
Elijah M. Amos, E. Whitington, Adam Files, Wm. T. Brown,
James A. Everett, Henry Crowell, John Andrews, John
Robinson, William Williamson, Samuel Calhoun, William
Trice, Robert Howe, Archibald Grey, James A. Millar, Rev.
Henry Hooten. Fort Hawkins was the Creek Indian Agency in
July 1817.  (There is a short biography of Colonel
Benjamin Hawkins, Indian Agent, who is buried in Crawford
County, Georgia.)

Ref:  White, George, M. A,  HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF
GEORGIA,  1854, Pudney & Russell, Publishers, New York,
pp. 416-418.  (Reprinted 1968, Heritage Papers,
Danielsville, GA)


(Contributed by Barbara Walker Winge,
barbarawinge@yahoo.com)

Note: Adiel Sherwood, A GAZETTEER OF THE STATE OF
GEORGIA, Washington City, Printed by P. Force, 1837,  pp.
255-256. APPENDIX:  BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES "The author
conceived that a short biographical sketch of the
individuals after whom the several counties were named,
would furnish an instructive and pleasing appendage to
his topographical work... Acquainted with the intimate
friends of some of the 'venerable dead,' he has been
furnished with sufficient materials to enlarge on their
character... There are in the State ninety counties (book
printed in 1837, presently in 2001, there are 159
counties)..."


========================
USGENWEB NOTICE:  In keeping with our policy of providing
free information on the Internet, data may be freely used
by non-commercial entities, as long as this message
remains on all copied material. These electronic pages
cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other
presentation. The submitter has given permission to the
USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for FREE
access. ==============