Francis Burton Craige (March 13, 1811 – December 30, 1875) was an editor, lawyer, and U.S. congressional representative from the south fork of the

Yadkin River The Yadkin River is one of the longest rivers in North Carolina, flowing . It rises in the northwestern portion of the state near the Blue Ridge Parkway's Thunder Hill Overlook. Several parts of the river are impounded by dams for water, po ...

five miles from Salisbury, North Carolina. He was the youngest son of David and Mary Foster Craige.

Personal life

As a child, he attended a classical private school in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

and in 1829, he graduated from

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

, where he studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1832 at the age of just 21, commencing practice in Salisbury. In 1836 Craige married Elizabeth Phifer Erwin, granddaughter of Matthew Locke (U.S. Congress) and had 5 children; James Alexander was born in 1841, Kerr in 1843, Francis Burton, Jr., in 1846, Mary Elizabeth in 1848, and Annie Erwin in 1852. Craige died in

Concord, North Carolina Concord is the county seat and largest city in Cabarrus County, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 105,186, with an estimated population in 2021 of 107,697. In terms of population, the cit ...

on December 30, 1875, while attending the Cabarrus County Superior Court. He was buried in the Old English Cemetery in

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. Located northeast of Charlotte and within its metropolita ...

Career

While studying law, Craige was an editor and proprietor of the newspaper Salisbury Western Carolinian (1829-1831). Under his editorship, he made the newspaper one of chief advocates of

Nullification Nullification may refer to: * Nullification (U.S. Constitution), a legal theory that a state has the right to nullify any federal law deemed unconstitutional with respect to the United States Constitution * Nullification Crisis, the 1832 confront ...

in North Carolina, suggesting full co-operation with South Carolina in its ongoing dispute with

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

. Craige was one of the last borough representatives in the State House of Representatives from 1832 to 1834. In 1835, Craige was defeated by Abraham Rencher while challenging him for his seat in Congress. Later in his career, he was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

from the 33rd to the 36th U.S. Congresses (March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1861). He held additional posts including Chairman, Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, (33rd Congress), and was a delegate to the

Provisional Congress of the Confederate States The Provisional Congress of the Confederate States, also known as the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America, was a congress of Deputy (legislator), deputies and Delegate (American politics), delegates called together from th ...

meeting in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

from July 1861 to February 1862. In 1847, he was awarded a master's degree by

. He was also active in

Episcopal Church (United States) The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop o ...

Legacy

Burton Craige left his legacy in the form of a freshman residence hall at his alma mater. Crusty craige <3 facts

References

Retrieved on 2009-04-14 *

Footnotes

1811 births 1875 deaths Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives People of North Carolina in the American Civil War University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni North Carolina lawyers Deputies and delegates to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub