William Crawford (his last name was also spelled Craford or Crafford) (died before April 15, 1762) was an American soldier, politician, and founder of

Portsmouth, Virginia Portsmouth is an independent city in southeast Virginia and across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,915. It is part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Naval M ...

. He served as a member of the

Virginia House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been established ...

for over thirty years.

Background

Crawford was born at an unknown date, possibly in the 1680s, to George and Abigail Mason Crawford. Some materials state that he was born in

Portsmouth, England Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dense ...

but it is generally accepted that he was born in Norfolk County. Both of his parents died while he was still a child and in September 1699 their immigrant grandfather made them his principal heirs. It is believed that Crawford never married and in 1711 he patented 173 acres of land in

Nansemond County Nansemond is an extinct jurisdiction that was located south of the James River in Virginia Colony and in the Commonwealth of Virginia (after statehood) in the United States, from 1646 until 1974. It was known as Nansemond County until 1972. From ...

and in 1716 he patented an additional 1,129 acres in Norfolk County. He served in Norfolk County's county court and on May 4, 1725 he was appointed sheriff. By 1742 he had become a colonel of militia and in 1748, served as county lieutenant. By January 27, 1762 Crawford was in poor health and on this day he wrote a will leaving part of his large estate to his sister and to others, including his late housekeeper's children. Crawford's exact date of death is unknown but he died at some point before April 15 of that same year, as this was the date when his will was proven in the Norfolk County Court.

Political career

Crawford was elected to the House of Burgesses in 1712, where he represented Norfolk County. He continued to serve in this position for about thirty years without interruption except for 1734, when he gave up his seat after he was again appointed as Norfolk County's sheriff. Crawford was re-elected to the House of Burgesses the following year.

Founding of Portsmouth

Portsmouth was founded in the spring of 1752 by the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

, likely at Crawford's request. He began selling lots in this town later that same year and intended to establish a courthouse there, but this was not accomplished during his lifetime.

References

External links

Meet Colonel Crawford
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, William Politicians from Portsmouth, Virginia American city founders 1762 deaths House of Burgesses members