Biography of A. Bliss MCCRUM, Fayette County, West Virginia This file was submitted by Cheryl McCollum, E-mail address: This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. 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 WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume II pg. 54-55 A. BLISS MCCRUM. Though just entering his forties, A. Bliss McCrum has earned and for a number of years has enjoyed a place of conspicuous honor among the attorneys of West Virginia, and has also a record of usefulness in public affairs. He earned his early reputation as a lawyer at Kingwood, but for several years has been a resident of Charleston, and among other duties is executive secretary of the Public Utilities Association of West Virginia. Mr. McCrum was born at Aurora in Preston County, February 17, 1880, son of Lloyd L. and Emma (Shaffer) McCrum, now deceased. His father was of Scotch-Irish ancestry and a native of Preston County. He died in Grant County in 1895, while the mother passed away in 1882. Both the Shaffer and McCrum families were pioneer settlers on the old Northwestern Turnpike. A. Bliss McCrum received a common school education in Preston and Grant counties, and was also a student in the grammar schools and the Central High School of Washington, D. C., where his father resided for a time. He took both the academic and law courses in West Virginia University, and by hard, concentrated effort was able to graduate with degrees from both departments in 1901. He had only recently turned his majority, and with his law diploma he located at Kingwood, where he became associated with the veteran and distinguished attorney P. J. Crogan in the firm of Crogan & McCrum. While establishing himself in the law he was also induced to enter politics, and in 1906 was elected to represent Preston County in the House of Delegates, and reelected in 1908, serving four years. During the second session he was chairman of the finance committee. In 1912 Mr. McCrum was elected state senator from the Fourteenth Senatorial District, comprising the counties of Preston, Grant, Hardy, Mineral and Tucker. During his second session in the Senate he resigned to accept appointment as member of the State Board of Control, beginning his duties in June, 1915, at which time he moved from Kingwood to Charleston. He was on the State Board of Control two years, filling the unexpired term of Governor Dawson, one of his closest friends. Mr. McCrum in 1918 volunteered his services during the war with Germany. He was made a second lieutenant at Camp Joseph E. Johnston, afterward promoted to first lieutenant, and was put in command of Company B, Three Hundred and Fifty-third Labor Battalion in service at Camp Greene, Charlotte, North Carolina. He received his honorable discharge December 26, 1918. Soon after leaving the army Mr. McCrum resumed private law practice at Charleston, specializing in corporation law and utility rate cases. He is counsel for a number of well known public service and industrial corporations, including the Western Maryland Railway Company. His position as executive secretary of the Public Utilities Association of West Virginia is one of broad and interesting responsibilities. This organization embraces the electric railway, electric light, heat and power companies, water companies and independent telephone companies of the state, corporations representing investments running into millions of dollars and providing many of the essential public utilities. The chief object of this organization, and one in which his qualifications as a lawyer enables Mr. McCrum to further, is to bring about better understanding of the serious problems involved in the management, operation and financing of public utility corporations and also providing that mutual relationship of understanding and good will that involves better service to the public and a benefit to all concerned. Outside of his professional work he developed and built up several well known additions to the city. In 1920 Senator McCrum was elected secretary of the Republican State Committee, and along with Chariman White shared the honors of conducting the successful campaign of 1920. Mr. McCrum, whose offices are in the Charleston National Bank Building, is affiliated with the Masonic Order, the Elks, the Phi Kappa Sigma college fraternity, and is a Rotarian.