Rousseau Owen Crump
Encyclopedia
Rousseau Owen Crump was a politician and businessman from the U.S. state
of Michigan
.
Crump was born in Pittsford, New York
, the eldest son of Samuel and Sarah (Cutting) Crump. His parents had settled in Pittsford in April 1842 after emigrating from England soon after marrying. His father was born and educated in Kent
, while his mother was from Suffolk
. His father had experience as a builder and continued his trade in this county. Rouseau was educated in the public schools of Pittsford and Rochester
.
After finishing his education, he worked for a time with his father as a builder, and then learned the trade of wagon and carriage making. After finishing his apprenticeship, he took up another trade, that of ship-carpentering, helping to build one of the largest sailing vessels on the Great Lakes
. After it was finished in the fall of 1864, he took an extended trip on her as a finishing ship-joiner, going the whole length of Lakes Erie
, Huron
, and Michigan
, stopping at Detroit
, Port Huron
, Mackinaw
, Chicago, and Milwaukee
.
In 1865, Crump engaged with Colonel Abel Streight
, who had escaped from the Confederate Libby Prison
with 107 other soldiers during the Civil War
. Crump worked as a salesman at Streight's Indianapolis
lumberyards for nearly a year, until poor health forced him to return to New York to recuperate. After recovering his health, he worked with the Dart Brothers of Buffalo, New York
, visiting large lumber manufacturers in Ontario, Canada, to purchase stock for the Buffalo firm.
Crump resigned his position in 1868 and married Phebe A. Tucker of Craigsville, New York, and then went to Winona, Minnesota
, to work with the Laird, Norton & Co., planing mill
and lumberyard. In 1869, he undertook to start a lumber business in Plainwell, Michigan
, building his first home there and achieving moderate success. Due to poor health, he again returned to Pittsford in December 1875. In 1876, he formed a partnership with D. B. Eder, with whom he operated a planing mill and lumberyard until 1879. In 1877, he was one of a company that built and operated a powder mill near Syracuse
, which blew up that same year and took most of Crump's capital with it. Crump next formed a business partnership with his uncle, James Cutting, in Simcoe, Ontario
, where they operated a general lumber, stave, sash, shingle, and door factory.
In the summer of 1881, Crump and his wife made a tour of the Great Lakes, visiting Northern Michigan
, including the Bay City
area. Crump negotiated a lease with A. C. Haven in West Bay City (now part of Bay City) for a site to establish a new lumber operation. Crump and his uncle moved their entire business to the new location. In September 1881, construction began on a large mill which became operational in October. Cutting sold his interest to Crump in the fall of 1883, and in February 1884, Crump's Manufacturing Company was incorporated as a stock company under Michigan law, with Crump as the principal shareholder. His brother, S. G. Crump was president, R. O. Crump was secretary and manager, and his son, Shelley C. Crump was treasurer. The company dropped the retail lumber, sash, door, and blind business and became one of the largest box and package manufacturing plants in the country at that time, employing over 100 persons. Crump also operated a sawmill in Roscommon
with his son as the firm of R. O. Crump & Son.
Crump and his wife raised one son and four daughters. Shelley C. and Millie were born in Plainwell, Mabel A. in Pittsford, while Enid and Susie were born in West Bay City.
In West Bay City, Crump served on the board of aldermen from 1889 to 1892. In the fall of 1890, he ran unsuccessfully for the Michigan House of Representatives. In 1892, he was elected mayor, serving from 1892 to 1895. In 1894, he was elected as a Republican
from Michigan's 10th congressional district
to the 54th United States Congress
and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1895 until his death in 1901. In the 56th congress
, he was chairman of the Committee on Mines and Mining
.
Crump died, while in office, in West Bay City just three weeks before his fifty-eighth birthday, and is interred in Elm Lawn Cemetery of Bay City, Michigan
. Crump was a member of the Episcopal Church and was active in Masonic fraternities
, including the Royal Arcanum, Foresters
, Pythians
, Knights Templars, Michigan Sovereign Consistory of Detroit and Moslem Temple
, and the Ancient Order of United Workmen
.
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 Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Crump was born in Pittsford, New York
Pittsford (village), New York
Pittsford is a village in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 1,418 at the 2000 census. It is named after Pittsford, Vermont, the native town of a founding father....
, the eldest son of Samuel and Sarah (Cutting) Crump. His parents had settled in Pittsford in April 1842 after emigrating from England soon after marrying. His father was born and educated in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, while his mother was from Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. His father had experience as a builder and continued his trade in this county. Rouseau was educated in the public schools of Pittsford and Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
.
After finishing his education, he worked for a time with his father as a builder, and then learned the trade of wagon and carriage making. After finishing his apprenticeship, he took up another trade, that of ship-carpentering, helping to build one of the largest sailing vessels on the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. After it was finished in the fall of 1864, he took an extended trip on her as a finishing ship-joiner, going the whole length of Lakes Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
, Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
, and Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
, stopping at Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, Port Huron
Port Huron, Michigan
Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administratively autonomous. It is joined by the Blue Water Bridge over the St. Clair River to Sarnia,...
, Mackinaw
Mackinac Island, Michigan
Mackinac Island is a city in Mackinac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. In the 2010 census, the city had a permanent population of 492, although there are thousands more seasonal workers and tourists during the summer months. From 1818–1882, the city was the county seat of the former...
, Chicago, and Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
.
In 1865, Crump engaged with Colonel Abel Streight
Abel Streight
Abel D. Streight was a peace time lumber merchant and publisher, and was a Union Army general in the American Civil War. His command precipitated a notable cavalry raid in 1863, known as Streight's Raid...
, who had escaped from the Confederate Libby Prison
Libby Prison
Libby Prison was a Confederate Prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. It gained an infamous reputation for the harsh conditions under which prisoners from the Union Army were kept.- Overview :...
with 107 other soldiers during the 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...
. Crump worked as a salesman at Streight's Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
lumberyards for nearly a year, until poor health forced him to return to New York to recuperate. After recovering his health, he worked with the Dart Brothers of Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, visiting large lumber manufacturers in Ontario, Canada, to purchase stock for the Buffalo firm.
Crump resigned his position in 1868 and married Phebe A. Tucker of Craigsville, New York, and then went to Winona, Minnesota
Winona, Minnesota
Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the U.S. State of Minnesota. Located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf....
, to work with the Laird, Norton & Co., planing mill
Planing mill
A planing mill is a facility that takes cut and seasoned boards from a sawmill and turns them into finished dimensional lumber. Machines used in the mill include the planer and matcher, the molding machines, and varieties of saws...
and lumberyard. In 1869, he undertook to start a lumber business in Plainwell, Michigan
Plainwell, Michigan
Plainwell is a city in Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,933 at the 2000 census.Plainwell is located on M-89 just east of its junction with U.S. 131. The city of Otsego is about three miles to the west. Kalamazoo is about ten miles to the south and Grand Rapids...
, building his first home there and achieving moderate success. Due to poor health, he again returned to Pittsford in December 1875. In 1876, he formed a partnership with D. B. Eder, with whom he operated a planing mill and lumberyard until 1879. In 1877, he was one of a company that built and operated a powder mill near Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, which blew up that same year and took most of Crump's capital with it. Crump next formed a business partnership with his uncle, James Cutting, in Simcoe, Ontario
Simcoe, Ontario
Simcoe is an unincorporated community and former town in Southwestern Ontario, Canada located near Lake Erie. It is the county seat and largest community of Norfolk County....
, where they operated a general lumber, stave, sash, shingle, and door factory.
In the summer of 1881, Crump and his wife made a tour of the Great Lakes, visiting Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan , is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan...
, including the Bay City
Bay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...
area. Crump negotiated a lease with A. C. Haven in West Bay City (now part of Bay City) for a site to establish a new lumber operation. Crump and his uncle moved their entire business to the new location. In September 1881, construction began on a large mill which became operational in October. Cutting sold his interest to Crump in the fall of 1883, and in February 1884, Crump's Manufacturing Company was incorporated as a stock company under Michigan law, with Crump as the principal shareholder. His brother, S. G. Crump was president, R. O. Crump was secretary and manager, and his son, Shelley C. Crump was treasurer. The company dropped the retail lumber, sash, door, and blind business and became one of the largest box and package manufacturing plants in the country at that time, employing over 100 persons. Crump also operated a sawmill in Roscommon
Roscommon, Michigan
Roscommon is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 1,133. It is the county seat of Roscommon County....
with his son as the firm of R. O. Crump & Son.
Crump and his wife raised one son and four daughters. Shelley C. and Millie were born in Plainwell, Mabel A. in Pittsford, while Enid and Susie were born in West Bay City.
In West Bay City, Crump served on the board of aldermen from 1889 to 1892. In the fall of 1890, he ran unsuccessfully for the Michigan House of Representatives. In 1892, he was elected mayor, serving from 1892 to 1895. In 1894, he was elected as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
from Michigan's 10th congressional district
Michigan's 10th congressional district
Michigan's 10th congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, covering a region known as the Thumb. It consists of all of Huron, Lapeer, St...
to the 54th United States Congress
54th United States Congress
- House of Representatives :-Leadership:- Senate :* President: Adlai E. Stevenson * President pro tempore: William P. Frye - Majority leadership :* Republican Conference Chairman: John Sherman- Minority leadership :...
and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1895 until his death in 1901. In the 56th congress
56th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:- Leadership :- Senate :* President: Garret Hobart , until November 21, 1899 , vacant thereafter.* President pro tempore: William P. Frye * Democratic Caucus Chairman: James K. Jones...
, he was chairman of the Committee on Mines and Mining
United States House Committee on Mines and Mining
The United States House Committee on Mines and Mining is a defunct a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.The Committee on Mines and Mining was created on December 19, 1865, for consideration of subjects relating to mining interests...
.
Crump died, while in office, in West Bay City just three weeks before his fifty-eighth birthday, and is interred in Elm Lawn Cemetery of Bay City, Michigan
Bay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...
. Crump was a member of the Episcopal Church and was active in Masonic fraternities
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, including the Royal Arcanum, Foresters
Fraternal Forestry
The Independent Order of Foresters is a fraternal organization, now based in Toronto, Canada, and operating under the brand Foresters.-History:Foresters traces its origin to a British Friendly Society, a mutual organization caring for the sick...
, Pythians
Knights of Pythias
The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded at Washington, DC, on 19 February 1864.The Knights of Pythias was the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded by Justus H. Rathbone, who had been...
, Knights Templars, Michigan Sovereign Consistory of Detroit and Moslem Temple
Detroit Masonic Temple
The Detroit Masonic Temple is the world's largest Masonic Temple. Located in the Cass Corridor of Detroit, Michigan, at 500 Temple Street, the building serves as a home to various masonic organizations including the York Rite Sovereign College of North America. The Masonic Temple Theatre is a venue...
, and the Ancient Order of United Workmen
Ancient Order of United Workmen
The Ancient Order of United Workmen was a fraternal organization in the United States and Canada, providing mutual social and financial support after the US Civil War. It was the beginning of the American network of fraternal benefit societies.-History:...
.