William Lyne Crawford (January 23, 1839 – February 17, 1920) was an American Confederate veteran, criminal lawyer and politician. He was "considered the leading criminal lawyer in Texas."

Biography

William Crawford was born to Jeptha and Catherine Crawford in

Clay County, Kentucky Clay County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the county population was 20,345. Its county seat is Manchester, Kentucky, Manchester. The county was forme ...

. The family moved to Texas in 1843. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

of 1861–1865, he served as a colonel in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. As a member of the Constitutional Convention of Texas held in 1875, Crawford succeeded in having a clause inserted in the constitution providing for the popular election of all judges. Years later he stated that it was a great mistake; that they should have been appointed. He served as a Democratic member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

from 1892 to 1893.

References

1839 births 1920 deaths Military personnel from Dallas Confederate States Army officers Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Texas lawyers People from Clay County, Kentucky 19th-century American lawyers {{Texas-politician-stub