Winthrop Murray Crane
| Winthrop Murray Crane | |
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United States Senator from Massachusetts |
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In office October 12, 1904 – March 3, 1913 |
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| Appointed by | John L. Bates |
| Preceded by | George F. Hoar |
| Succeeded by | John W. Weeks |
| 40th Governor of Massachusetts | |
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In office January 4, 1900 – January 8, 1903 |
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| Lieutenant | John L. Bates |
| Preceded by | Roger Wolcott |
| Succeeded by | John L. Bates |
| 37th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts | |
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In office 1897–1900 |
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| Governor | Roger Wolcott |
| Preceded by | Roger Wolcott |
| Succeeded by | John L. Bates |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 23, 1853 Dalton, Massachusetts |
| Died | October 2, 1920 (aged 67) Dalton, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Benner 1880-1884 Josephine Porter Boardman (1884-1920) |
| Children | Winthrop Murray Crane II Stephen Crane Bruce Crane Louise Crane |
Winthrop Murray Crane (or just Murray Crane, April 23, 1853 – October 2, 1920) was a U.S. political figure and businessman. Born into the Dalton, Massachusetts family that owned the papermaking Crane & Co., he successfully expanded the company during the 1880s after securing an exclusive government contract to supply the paper for United States currency (a monopoly the company continues to hold). During the 1890s he became increasingly active in Republican Party politics, and was for 20 years a dominating figure in Massachusetts politics. He served several times on the Republican National Committee, and was elected Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts 1896-99 and Governor of Massachusetts 1900-03. In 1904 he was appointed by his successor John L. Bates to fill a vacated United States Senate seat, which he held until 1913.
Crane was an advisor to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, and served as a political mentor to Calvin Coolidge. His success in defusing a Teamsters strike while governor prompted Roosevelt to bring him in as a negotiator to resolve the Coal Strike of 1902. He refused repeated offers for cabinet-level positions, and was known to dislike campaigning and giving speeches. He was highly regarded and popular in western Massachusetts.
Winthrop Murray Crane was born in Dalton, Massachusetts to Zenas Marshall Crane and Louise Fanny Laflin. His father was owner of the Crane Paper Company, a dominant economic force in the small community and a major producer of paper products. Crane entered the family business in 1870, and, alongside his brother Zenas, Jr. presided over a period of significant growth of the company. In 1872 Crane secured a major contract for the supply of wrapping paper to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, and followed this up in 1879, with an exclusive contract to paper for the Federal Reserve Notes, the currency of the United States. The Crane Company continues to be the sole supplier of currency paper to the federal government today. The company continued significant growth throughout the 1880s and 1890s. Crane expanded his business interests, and amassed a significant fortune by investing in the Otis Elevator Company and in American Telephone and Telegraph Company.
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