Rousseau Owen Crump (May 20, 1843 – May 1, 1901) was a politician and businessman from the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. Crump was born in

Pittsford, New York Pittsford is a town in Monroe County, New York. A suburb of Rochester, its population was 30,617 at the time of the 2020 census. The Town of Pittsford (formerly part of the town of Northfield) was settled in 1789 and incorporated in 1796. The ...

, 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 is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, while his mother was from

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

. His father had experience as a builder and continued his trade in the United States. Rouseau was educated in the

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

s of Pittsford and

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

. 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 The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five 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 Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

Huron Huron may refer to: People * Wyandot people (or Wendat), indigenous to North America * Wyandot language, spoken by them * Huron-Wendat Nation, a Huron-Wendat First Nation with a community in Wendake, Quebec * Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi ...

, and

, stopping at Detroit,

Port Huron 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 administered separately. Located along the St. Clair ...

, Mackinaw, Chicago, and

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

. In 1865, Crump engaged with Colonel

Abel Streight Abel Delos Streight (June 17, 1828 – May 27, 1892) was a peacetime lumber merchant and publisher, and was a Union Army colonel in the American Civil War. His command precipitated a notable cavalry raid in 1863, known as Streight's Raid. He ...

, who had escaped from the Confederate

Libby Prison Libby Prison was a Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. In 1862 it was designated to hold officer prisoners from the Union Army. It gained an infamous reputation for the overcrowded and harsh conditions. Prison ...

with 107 other soldiers during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. Crump worked as a salesman at Streight's

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

lumberyards for nearly a year, until poor health forced him to return to New York to recuperate. Crump resigned his position in 1868 and married Phebe A. Tucker of

Craigsville, New York Blooming Grove is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 18,811 at the 2020 census. It is located in the central part of the county, southwest of Newburgh. History Vincent Mathews was likely the earliest settler ...

, and then went to

Winona, Minnesota Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the state of Minnesota. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf. The city is named after legendary figure Winona, who ...

, to work with the Laird, Norton & Co.,

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. In the planing mil ...

and lumberyard. In 1869, he undertook to start a lumber business in

Plainwell, Michigan Plainwell is a city in Allegan County, Michigan, Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,804 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Plainwell is located on M-89 (Michigan highway), M-89 just east of its junction ...

, 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 may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

, 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 is an unincorporated community#Canada, unincorporated community and former town in Southwestern Ontario, Canada near Lake Erie. It is the county seat and largest community of Norfolk County, Ontario, Norfolk County. Simcoe is at the junct ...

, 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, also known as Northern Lower Michigan (known colloquially to residents of more southerly parts of the state and summer residents from cities such as Detroit as " Up North"), is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. A popul ...

, including the Bay City area. Crump negotiated a lease with A. C. Haven in

West Bay City West Bay City was a city in Bay County, Michigan, Bay County the U.S. state of Michigan. The City was formed from the communities of Banks, Salzburg, and Wenona. The city existed from 1877 to 1905 when it was merged with Bay City, Michigan. Hist ...

(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 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 An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members them ...

from 1889 to 1892. In the fall of 1890, he ran unsuccessfully for the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

. In 1892, he was elected mayor, serving from 1892 to 1895. In 1894, he was elected as a

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 ...

from

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. Clair, and Sanilac Counties; as well as most o ...

to the

54th United States Congress The 54th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1895, ...

and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1895 until his death in 1901. In the

56th congress The 56th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1899, ...

, he was chairman of the

Committee on Mines and Mining The United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over matters related to energy and mineral resources, including nuclear development; irrigation and recla ...

. 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 is a city and county seat of Bay County 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 it is the principal city of the Bay City Metropol ...

. Crump was a member of the Episcopal Church and was active in Masonic fraternities, including the

Royal Arcanum The Supreme Council of the Royal Arcanum, commonly known simply as the Royal Arcanum, is a fraternal benefit society founded in 1877 in Boston, Massachusetts by John A. Cummings and Darius Wilson, who had previously been among the founders of the ...

Foresters A forester is a person who practises forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including ecological restoration and management of protected areas. Foresters manage forests to ...

, Pythians,

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

, Michigan Sovereign Consistory of Detroit and Moslem Temple, and the

Ancient Order of United Workmen The Ancient Order of United Workmen (AOUW) was a fraternal organization in the United States and Canada, providing mutual social and financial support after the American Civil War. It was the first of the "fraternal benefit societies", organizatio ...

References

The Political Graveyard
*''The life and works of Rousseau Owen Crump, M.C. 1843–1901'', Victor W Killick * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crump, Rousseau Owen 1843 births 1901 deaths Politicians from Bay City, Michigan Politicians from Rochester, New York Mayors of places in Michigan 20th-century American Episcopalians American Freemasons Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan 19th-century American politicians People from Plainwell, Michigan People from Otsego County, New York People from Bay City, Michigan People from Monroe County, New York Businesspeople from Rochester, New York 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American Episcopalians

See also

References