William Crutchfield
| William Crutchfield | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 3rd district |
|
|
In office March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875 |
|
| Preceded by | Abraham E. Garrett |
| Succeeded by | George G. Dibrell |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 16, 1824 Greeneville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | January 24, 1890 (aged 65) Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| Resting place | Citizens Cemetery Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| Political party |
Whig Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Nancy Jane Williams (m. 1859) |
| Children | 8 |
| Profession | Merchant, farmer |
William Crutchfield (November 16, 1824 – January 24, 1890) was an American politician who represented the 3rd congressional district of Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives for one term (1873–1875). He also served several terms as an alderman in his adopted hometown of Chattanooga, where he was a prominent figure and businessman. A Southern Unionist, he garnered regional fame and notoriety in January 1861 when he engaged in a heated debate with future Confederate States president Jefferson Davis at his family's Chattanooga hotel.
Crutchfield was born in Greeneville, Tennessee, the son of Thomas Crutchfield, a brick contractor, and Sarah (Cleage) Crutchfield. He attended common schools. He moved to McMinn County, Tennessee, in 1840, and remained there for four years before settling in Jacksonville, Alabama, in 1844. He established a large farm at Jacksonville that specialized in grain production and utilized innovative farming techniques. He was also elected a captain in the local militia. Inspired by Kentucky politician Henry Clay, he supported local Whig Party candidates.
In 1850, Crutchfield moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where his father had acquired a considerable amount of land, and had established a successful hotel, the Crutchfield House. After the elder Crutchfield died in 1850, William's brother, Thomas, took over the hotel's management. William was elected alderman in Chattanooga in December 1851, and reelected in 1854. In the late 1850s, he helped establish the city's fire and police departments.
During the secession crisis that followed the election of Abraham Lincoln in late 1860, Crutchfield remained committed to the Union. On January 22, 1861, Jefferson Davis, the future president of the Confederacy who had just resigned his seat in the United States Senate, stayed at the Crutchfield House while en route to his home in Mississippi. In the hotel's dining room that night, Davis delivered a short speech praising secession and encouraging Tennessee to join the rest of the South. After Davis had finished, Crutchfield, who had been listening, leaped upon a counter and delivered a scathing retort. He described Davis as a "renegade and a traitor," and stated that Tennessee would not be “hood winked, bamboozled and dragged into your Southern, codfish, aristocratic, tory blooded, South Carolina mobocracy.” Davis refuted Crutchfield's charges in a brief response. One report of the incident stated that Davis's supporters had "pistols drawn and cocked for immediate use," while others suggested that Davis considered challenging Crutchfield to a duel. In any event, Crutchfield's brother, Thomas, led Davis from the room, and further incident was avoided.
...
Wikipedia