George Crawford (American businessman)
Encyclopedia
George Crawford was a prominent American businessman of the late 19th and early 20th century.
A senior figure in the energy supply industry, Crawford was the founder and chairman of Columbia Gas & Electric, one of the leading American utilities companies of the 20th century. Crawford is also notable as the father of the late New York socialite Sunny von Bülow
, who spent 25 years in a coma, and whose husband Claus Von Bulow
was famously charged, convicted and then acquitted of her attempted murder.
George Crawford was the son of Eben Crawford, a farmer from Emlenton, Venango County, Pennsylvania
. Eben and his brothers reportedly tried a variety of business ventures and a local Emlenton history records that they had "returned home penniless" from the California gold rush, but the family made a fortune after reserves of oil and natural gas were discovered on Eben's farm in 1901. He and his brothers founded the Emlenton Gas Co., one of the first natural gas companies in the world.
George Crawford married Annie Laurie Warmack in 1927; he was 66 years old and his young wife (a native of St. Louis) was 28. He was 75 when his only child Sunny was born in 1932, reportedly in Crawford's personal railroad carriage. By this time he was the chairman of the board of Columbia Gas & Electric, owner of Lone Star Gas Co. in Texas and a major investor in significant oil and gas reserves in Mexico.
The family had two homes, one in the Squirrel Hill
section of Pittsburgh and a second home (previously his father's residence) at 304 Hill Street, Emlenton, PA.
When George Crawford died in 1935. He left his four-year-old daughter a fortune valued then (1935) at more than US$100 million (UK£75 million)
A senior figure in the energy supply industry, Crawford was the founder and chairman of Columbia Gas & Electric, one of the leading American utilities companies of the 20th century. Crawford is also notable as the father of the late New York socialite Sunny von Bülow
Sunny von Bülow
Martha Sharp Crawford von Bülow , known as Sunny von Bülow, was an American heiress and socialite. Her husband, Claus von Bülow, was convicted of attempting her murder by insulin overdose, but the conviction was overturned on appeal...
, who spent 25 years in a coma, and whose husband Claus Von Bulow
Claus von Bülow
Claus von Bülow is a British socialite of German and Danish ancestry. He was accused of the attempted murder of his wife Sunny von Bülow by administering an insulin overdose in 1980 but his conviction in the first trial was reversed and he was found not guilty in both his retrials.-Biography:Born...
was famously charged, convicted and then acquitted of her attempted murder.
George Crawford was the son of Eben Crawford, a farmer from Emlenton, Venango County, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Eben and his brothers reportedly tried a variety of business ventures and a local Emlenton history records that they had "returned home penniless" from the California gold rush, but the family made a fortune after reserves of oil and natural gas were discovered on Eben's farm in 1901. He and his brothers founded the Emlenton Gas Co., one of the first natural gas companies in the world.
George Crawford married Annie Laurie Warmack in 1927; he was 66 years old and his young wife (a native of St. Louis) was 28. He was 75 when his only child Sunny was born in 1932, reportedly in Crawford's personal railroad carriage. By this time he was the chairman of the board of Columbia Gas & Electric, owner of Lone Star Gas Co. in Texas and a major investor in significant oil and gas reserves in Mexico.
The family had two homes, one in the Squirrel Hill
Squirrel Hill
Squirrel Hill is a residential neighborhood in the east end of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The city officially divides it into two neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South, but it is almost universally treated as a single neighborhood...
section of Pittsburgh and a second home (previously his father's residence) at 304 Hill Street, Emlenton, PA.
When George Crawford died in 1935. He left his four-year-old daughter a fortune valued then (1935) at more than US$100 million (UK£75 million)