American judge (1820?1883)
Martin Jenkins Crawford
(March 17, 1820 ? July 23, 1883) was an
antebellum
U.S. Representative
and a representative to the
Provisional Confederate Congress
during the
American Civil War
from the state of
Georgia
.
Life and career
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Martin J. Crawford was born March 17, 1820, in
Jasper County, Georgia
. He attended Brownwood Institute and
Mercer University
in
Macon, Georgia
. After studying law, he was admitted to the
State Bar of Georgia
in 1839.
[1]
Crawford started his
practice
in
Hamilton, Georgia
?where Crawford was also involved with farming.
From 1845 to 1847, Crawford served in the
Georgia House of Representatives
. After moving to
Columbus, Georgia
, in 1849, he served as a delegate to the
Southern convention at Nashville
in May 1850. From February 1, 1854, to November 1854, Crawford was a judge of the
superior courts
of the Chattahoochee circuit.
In 1854, Crawford was elected as a
Democrat
to the
34th United States Congress
to represent
Georgia's 2nd congressional district
. He was reelected to two additional terms in the seat (
35th
and
36th
Congresses), and his congressional service spanned from March 4, 1855, until his resignation on January 23, 1861, with Georgia having seceded the
Union
on January 22.
After resigning the U.S. Congress, Crawford was elected to the
Confederate Provisional Congress
, serving from January 1861 to February 22, 1862.
Confederate President
Jefferson Davis
appointed Crawford as a special commissioner to the United States in
Washington, D.C.
Martin J. Crawford organized the
3rd Regiment, Georgia Cavalry in May 1862 to support the
Confederate States Army
, operating with the
Army of Tennessee
. Under Crawford's command the 3rd Regiment saw combat, fighting in
Kentucky
with General Wheeler. The next campaign at
New Haven
saw most of the regiment taken prisoner?the retreating contingent fought at the
Battle of Murfreesboro
?then reconstituted under Colonel
J.J. Morrison
. The Georgia 3rd surrendered on April 26, 1865, with the
Army of Tennessee
?surrendering field officers were Colonels Martin J. Crawford, Richard E. Kennon, and Robert Thompson; Lieutenant Colonel James T. Thornton; and Majors Daniel F. Booton and Hiram H. Johnson.
[2]
After the war, Crawford became judge of the superior court of the Chattahoochee circuit on October 1, 1875, to fill a vacancy. He was reappointed in 1877 and served on that bench until he resigned on February 9, 1880. The next day, he was appointed to a vacant position on the
Supreme Court of Georgia
and served on that court until his death in Columbus. He was buried in that city's Linwood Cemetery.
See also
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References
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Articles related to Martin Jenkins Crawford
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