Macdonough Craven, often mistaken as MacDonough Craven and McDonough Craven, (November 11, 1858 – February 2, 1919) was an American naval officer, engineer, and politician. Born into a highly respected naval family, Craven was raised in Maryland and New York City and in 1876 was appointed to the United States Naval Academy. While at the academy, he was a below-average student, finishing 55th out of a class of 72. He was, however, a member of the school's inaugural football team and later helped chronicle the academy's football program. He graduated from the academy in 1883 and was given a

discharge Discharge may refer to Expel or let go * Discharge, the act of firing a gun * Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...

the same year. Following his naval service, Craven returned to New York and worked as an engineer on a number of transportation and sanitation projects. He was a long-time assistant of sanitation pioneer

George E. Waring, Jr. George E. Waring Jr. (July 4, 1833 – October 29, 1898) was an American sanitary engineer and civic reformer. He was an early American designer and advocate of sewer systems that keep domestic sewage separate from storm runoff. Early life Wari ...

Craven served for a brief period of time in the Brazilian navy during 1894, and returned to serve in the U.S. navy during the Spanish–American War. During the turn of the century, he rose through the ranks of New York City's sanitation department, eventually being appointed its commissioner in 1906. He served only for a few months; his predecessor had left the department in poor condition. Craven resigned in 1907 after a garbage collectors' strike. His health began to decline shortly afterwards and Craven died in 1919 at the age of 60.

Family and Naval Academy

Craven was born on November 9, 1858, in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

Naval service and assistant engineer

Craven was honorably discharged in 1883, but later served during the Spanish–American War and spent a short time in the Brazilian navy. He was for several years an assistant to

, an engineer and sanitation expert.

Politics and later life

During the early 1900s, Craven moved up through the ranks of the

New York City Sanitation Department The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) is the department of the government of New York City responsible for garbage collection, recycling collection, street cleaning, and snow removal. The DSNY motto "New York's Strongest" was coine ...

, eventually spending about six months as its commissioner, until a strike forced him to resign.

Personal life

Craven was married and had four children. He was a noted

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

References

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Bibliography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craven, Macdonough 1858 births 1919 deaths 19th-century players of American football American football offensive linemen Navy Midshipmen football players People from Annapolis, Maryland Players of American football from Maryland United States Naval Academy alumni Politicians from New York City Engineers from New York City