Martin Jenkins Crawford
Encyclopedia
Martin Jenkins Crawford was an antebellum U.S. Representative
and a representative to the Provisional Confederate Congress
during the American Civil War
from the state
of Georgia
.
. He attended Brownwood Institute and Mercer University
in Macon, Georgia
. After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1839 and became a practicing attorney in Hamilton, Georgia
in addition to 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 the impending secession
of his home state.
After leaving 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.
. Crawford also organized the 3rd Georgia Cavalry Regiment in the Confederate States Army
in May 1862 and served in that unit for one year before joining the staff of Major General Howell Cobb
. Crawford remained on that staff until the end of the war.
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 on July 23, 1883. He was buried in that city's Linwood Cemetery.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and a representative to the Provisional Confederate Congress
Provisional Confederate Congress
The Provisional Confederate Congress, for a time the legislative branch of the Confederate States of America, was the body which drafted the Confederate Constitution, elected Jefferson Davis President of the Confederacy, and designed the first Confederate flag...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
from the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
Biography
Crawford was born in 1820 in Jasper County, GeorgiaJasper County, Georgia
Jasper County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 11,426. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 13,660...
. He attended Brownwood Institute and Mercer University
Mercer University
Mercer University is an independent, private, coeducational university with a Baptist heritage located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Mercer is the only university of its size in the United States that offers programs in eleven diversified fields of study: liberal arts, business, education, music,...
in Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
. After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1839 and became a practicing attorney in Hamilton, Georgia
Hamilton, Georgia
Hamilton is a city in and the county seat of Harris County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in addition to farming.
From 1845 to 1847, Crawford served in the Georgia House of Representatives
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly of the U.S. state of Georgia.-Composition:...
. After moving to Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
, 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
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the 34th United States Congress
34th United States Congress
The Thirty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1855 to March 4, 1857, during the last two years...
to represent Georgia's 2nd congressional district
Georgia's 2nd congressional district
Georgia's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. One of the largest districts by size, it takes in most of the southwestern fourth of the state of Georgia...
. He was reelected to two additional terms in the seat (35th
35th United States Congress
The 35th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1857 to March 3, 1859, during the first two years of James...
and 36th
36th United States Congress
The Thirty-sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1859 to March 4, 1861, during the third and fourth...
Congresses), and his congressional service spanned from March 4, 1855, until his resignation on January 23, 1861, with the impending secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
of his home state.
After leaving the U.S. Congress, Crawford was elected to the Confederate Provisional Congress, serving from January 1861 to February 22, 1862. Confederate President
President of the Confederate States of America
The President of the Confederate States of America was the Head of State and Head of Government of the Confederate States of America, which was formed from the states which declared their secession from the United States, thus precipitating the American Civil War. The only person to hold the...
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
appointed Crawford as a special commissioner to the United States in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Crawford also organized the 3rd Georgia Cavalry Regiment in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
in May 1862 and served in that unit for one year before joining the staff of Major General Howell Cobb
Howell Cobb
Howell Cobb was an American political figure. A Southern Democrat, Cobb was a five-term member of the United States House of Representatives and Speaker of the House from 1849 to 1851...
. Crawford remained on that staff until the end of the war.
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 on July 23, 1883. He was buried in that city's Linwood Cemetery.