Donald Alexander Crawford Biography


	This biography appears on pages 43-44 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

	http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm


				DONALD ALEXANDER CRAWFORD. 

	Donald Alexander Crawford, who has been successfully engaged in the 
practice of law at De Smet since 1903, has gained an enviable and well merited 
reputation as one of the leading representatives of his profession in Kingsbury 
county and South Dakota. His birth occurred in Megantic county, Canada, on the 
4th of April, 1867, his parents being Alexander and Jessie Crawford. In 1870 the 
family crossed the border into the United States and took up a homestead claim 
in Plymouth county, Iowa. A decade later they came to Union county, South 
Dakota, and then took up a preemption claim in Hyde county, this state. Mrs. 
Crawford is still living, but the father of our subject passed away in 1913 and 
in his death the community lost one of its honored pioneers and esteemed 
citizens. 

	Donald A. Crawford, who was a youth of thirteen when he came with his 
parents to this state, supplemented his public-school education by a course of 
study in the University of South Dakota at Vermillion. Subsequently he entered 
the College of Law of the University of Nebraska, and in 1902 was graduated from 
that institution. He first located for practice at Elk Point, South Dakota, and 
there followed his profession in association with H. M. Wallace for a period of 
nine months. In 1903 he removed to De Smet, where he has since remained. and he 
has been accorded a liberal and lucrative clientage. His standing in the 
profession is indicated in the fact that he was elected states attorney in 1910 
and has served as city attorney for a number of years, his record in both 
connections being highly commendable and eminently satisfactory. He was also 
honored by his party with the election to county judge in 1914. In business 
circles his cooperation has likewise been sought and for seven years he served 
as secretary of the Waters Land & Loan Company, a local concern. 

	In 1911 Mr. Crawford was united in marriage to Miss Nuna Symns, a daughter 
of T. H. Symns of Iowa and Montana. Mr. Crawford gives his political allegiance 
to the republican party and from 1897 until 1901 held the office of county 
superintendent of schools in I~nion county. He is still doing valuable service 
in the interessts of education as president of the De Smet school board. His 
religious faith is that of the Episcopal church, while fraternally he is 
identified with the Masons, belonging to the blue lodge and chapter of that 
organization, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent and 
Protective Order of Elks and the Woodmen. Coming to this state more than a third 
of a century ago, he has since been an interested witness of its growth and 
development and has done all in his power to further the work of progress along 
many lines, so that he has long been numbered among the prominent and valued 
citizens of the commonwealth.