Richard Crowley was a United States Representative from New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. He was born in Pendleton, New York

Pendleton, New York

Pendleton is a town on the southern edge of Niagara County, New York, United States. It is east of the city of Niagara Falls and southwest of the city of Lockport. The population was 6,397 at the 2010 census.- History :...

. He attended the public schools and Lockport Union School. Later, he studied law

Law

Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

 and was admitted to the bar in 1860 and commenced practice in Lockport, New York

Lockport (city), New York

Lockport is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 21,165 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from a set of Erie canal locks within the city. Lockport is the county seat of Niagara County and is surrounded by the town of Lockport...

.

Crowley was the city attorney of Lockport in 1865 and 1866. He was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States

Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...

 in 1865 and was a member of the New York Senate 1866-1870. He was appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...

 United States district attorney for the northern district of New York on March 23, 1871 and was reappointed March 3, 1875, and served in that capacity until March 3, 1879.

Crowley was elected as a Republican to the Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1883). While in Congress, he served as chairman, Committee on Claims (Forty-seventh Congress). He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1888 to the Fifty-first Congress. After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law in Lockport, New York. He was appointed by Governor Levi P. Morton

Levi P. Morton

Levi Parsons Morton was a Representative from New York and the 22nd Vice President of the United States . He also later served as the 31st Governor of New York.-Biography:...

 in 1896 as counsel for the State of New York in 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...

 claims cases, in which capacity he was serving at the time of his death at Olcott Beach, New York in 1908. He was buried in Glenwood Cemetery.