William Harris Crawford
| William Crawford | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 7th United States Secretary of the Treasury | |
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In office October 22, 1816 – March 6, 1825 |
|
| President |
James Madison James Monroe |
| Preceded by | Alexander Dallas |
| Succeeded by | Richard Rush |
| 9th United States Secretary of War | |
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In office August 1, 1815 – October 22, 1816 |
|
| President | James Madison |
| Preceded by | James Monroe |
| Succeeded by | John Calhoun |
| United States Minister to France | |
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In office March 23, 1813 – August 1, 1815 |
|
| President | James Madison |
| Preceded by | Joel Barlow |
| Succeeded by | Albert Gallatin |
| President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate | |
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In office March 24, 1812 – March 23, 1813 |
|
| Preceded by | John Pope |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Varnum |
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United States Senator from Georgia |
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In office November 7, 1807 – March 23, 1813 |
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| Preceded by | George Jones |
| Succeeded by | William Bulloch |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Harris Crawford February 24, 1772 Amherst County, Virginia, British America |
| Died | September 15, 1834 (aged 62) Crawford, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party |
Democratic-Republican (1803–1828) Democratic (1828–1834) |
| Spouse(s) | Susanna Gerardine |
| Children | 7 |
William Harris Crawford (February 24, 1772 – September 15, 1834) was an American politician and judge during the early 19th century. He served as United States Secretary of War from 1815 to 1816 and United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1816 to 1825, and was a candidate for President of the United States in 1824.
Crawford was born on February 24, 1772 in the portion of Amherst County, Virginia that later became Nelson County, the son of Joel Crawford and Fanny Harris, although at least one source has given his birthplace as Tusculum, a house whose site remains in Amherst County. He moved with his family to Edgefield County, South Carolina in 1779, and to Columbia County, Georgia in 1783. Crawford was educated at private schools in Georgia and at Richmond Academy in Augusta. After his father's death, Crawford became the family's main financial provider, and he worked on the Crawford family farm and taught school. He later studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1799, and began to practice in Lexington. Also in 1799, Crawford was appointed by the state legislature to prepare a digest of Georgia's statutes.
William H. Crawford influenced Georgia politics for decades. In 1803, Crawford was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, and he served until 1807. He allied himself with senator James Jackson. Their enemies were the Clarkites, led by John Clark. In 1802, he shot and killed Peter Lawrence Van Alen, a Clark ally, in a duel. Four years later on December 16, 1806, Crawford faced Clark himself in a duel, resulting in Crawford's left wrist being shattered by a shot from Clark, but he eventually recovered. In 1807, Crawford joined the 10th United States Congress mid-term as the junior U.S. Senator from Georgia when the Georgia legislature elected him to replace George Jones, an appointee who had held the office for a few months after the death of Abraham Baldwin.
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