Alfred Marion Craig (January 15, 1832 – September 6, 1911) was an American judge from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. Born and raised in the state, he was first elected as Knox County judge before he was named to the

Illinois Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ap ...

in 1873. Craig served three nine-year terms there, as Chief Justice four times.

Biography

He was born on January 15, 1832, in

Paris, Illinois Paris is a city in Edgar County, Illinois, south of Chicago and west of Indianapolis. The population was 8,291 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat and largest city of Edgar County. History Paris was established in 1826 on land donated by ...

, the son of David and Mintie Craig. He attended public schools and Knox College, graduating in 1853. He moved to Lewistown and studied law under Hezekiah H. Weed and William C. Goudy. Craig was admitted to the bar in 1855 and moved to

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...

to form the law firm of Manning, Douglas & Craig. In 1864, Craig was elected as Knox County judge. He formed a new practice with his brother-in-law C. K. Harvey in 1868. Craig represented Knoxville in the unsuccessful legal battle to remain the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Knox County. He lost an election to the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

in 1868 and an election to the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...

two years later. As one of the foremost judges in the area affiliated with the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, Craig was nominated to challenge the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Justice Charles B. Lawrence for a seat on the

in 1873. Craig's bid was successful. He was re-elected in 1882, defeating John Davis McCulloch, and again in 1891, defeating Henry W. Wells. He was named Chief Justice, then a one-year position, in 1878, 1881, 1888 and 1895. He wrote the opinion of ''

Illinois Central Railroad v. Illinois The Supreme Court of the United States, Supreme Court decision in ''Illinois Central Railroad v. Illinois'', 146 U.S. 387 (1892), reaffirmed that each state in its sovereign capacity holds title to all submerged lands within its borders and holds ...

'', a case later taken up by the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

. Craig was often coveted for political candidacy, but he refused all offers.

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

considered Craig to fill the Chief Justice vacancy on the Supreme Court of the United States, but he instead chose to name

Melville Fuller Melville Weston Fuller (February 11, 1833 – July 4, 1910) was an American politician, attorney, and jurist who served as the eighth chief justice of the United States from 1888 until his death in 1910. Staunch conservatism marked his ...

. Outside of his law interests, Craig also had large landholdings. He was the president of the Banks of Galesburg and the Bank of Altoona, and was a director of the First National Bank of Knoxville. Craig married Elizabeth Harvey on August 4, 1857. They had three children, one of whom,

Charles C. Craig Charles Curtis Craig (June 16, 1865 – August 25, 1944) was an American jurist, served on the Illinois Supreme Court, and was a politician. Born in Knoxville, Illinois, Craig went to Knox College and the United States Naval Academy. He studied l ...

, also sat on the Illinois Supreme Court.Illinois Supreme Court-Charles C. Craig
He died in Galesburg on September 6, 1911, from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

and was buried in Hope Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craig, Alfred M. 1832 births 1911 deaths Illinois state court judges Chief Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court Illinois Democrats People from Paris, Illinois People from Knox County, Illinois Knox College (Illinois) alumni People from Lewistown, Illinois 19th-century American judges Deaths from pneumonia in Illinois Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court