William Carey Crane (March 17, 1816 – February 27, 1885) was an American

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

minister, an educator, and the president of

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the ...

from 1864 to 1885.Samuel Boykin, ''History of the Baptist Denomination in Georgia - Vol. 2 of 2'', The Baptist Standard Bearer, 2001
pp. 149-151
/ref>Baylor Presidency biography
/ref>

Early life and education

William Carey Crane was born in Richmond, Virginia, on March 17, 1816. He attended the Mount Pleasant Classical Institute in Amherst, Massachusetts, and Virginia Baptist Seminary, now known as Richmond College. In 1883, he attended the Hamilton Literary and Theological Institute and Madison, now known as Colgate University. In 1836, he received a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from Columbian College, now known as

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

, followed by an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in 1839.

Career

From 1837 to 1839, Crane taught in

Talbotton, Georgia Talbotton is a city in Talbot County, Georgia, United States. The population was 970 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Talbot County. History Talbotton was founded in 1828 as the seat of the newly formed Talbot County. Both the ...

, and preached in Thomaston and Greenville. He also preached at

Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 s ...

. In 1838, he became a

minister in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. In 1839, he preached at the First Baptist Church in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

. In the 1840s, he served as a pastor in Columbus, Vicksburg, and

Yazoo City Yazoo City is a U.S. city in Yazoo County, Mississippi. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's ...

. In 1844, he was a professor at

Union University Union University is a private Baptist Christian university in Jackson, Tennessee, with additional campuses in Germantown and Hendersonville. The university is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). It is ...

in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and he edited '' The Baptist'' with R. B. C. Howell for two years in Nashville. He served as president of Mississippi Female College in Hernando from 1851 to 1857, Semple Broaddus College in Centre Hill, Mississippi from 1859 to 1860, and Mount Lebanon College in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

from 1860 to 1863. He was co-editor of the '' Louisiana Baptist'' and president of the Louisiana Baptist State Convention. He served as a pastor in Centre Hill, Coldwater,

Oxford, Mississippi Oxford is a city and college town in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Oxford lies 75 miles (121 km) south-southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, and is the county seat of Lafayette County. Founded in 1837, it was named after the British city of Ox ...

and New Connah, Tennessee. He was also an editor of the '' Mississippi Baptist''. He was the cofounder and vice-president of the Mississippi State Historical Society. He served as the general agent of the

American Tract Society The American Tract Society (ATS) is a nonprofit, nonsectarian but evangelical organization founded on May 11, 1825, in New York City for the purpose of publishing and disseminating tracts of Christian literature. ATS traces its lineage back thro ...

for two years. From 1851 to 1863, he served as secretary of the Southern Baptist Convention and was its vice-president four times in the 1870s and 1880s. In 1863, he served as pastor at the First Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. From 1864 to 1885, he was the president of

. He served as the pastor of the

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

Baptist Church for eighteen years from 1864 to 1867, and again from 1869 to 1884. He was also active in the Texas Baptist State Convention. He was the first president of the Texas State Teachers Association and chairman of the founding committee for Sam Houston Normal Institute, now known as Sam Houston State University. He was also a member of the American Philological Association.

Baylor presidency

In 1863, Baylor's trustees offered Crane the Baylor presidency with an annual salary of $3,000. During his tenure in office, he put considerable time into fundraising for Baylor, and also put his personal wealth, estimated at $7,000 to $10,000, into his attempts to strengthen the university and give it a permanent place in

. His attempts to garner financial support from Baptist organizations brought him into conflict with Rufus Burleson, then president of Waco University. This feud would last throughout Crane's term in office until his eventual death.

Personal life

Crane was wed to three different women throughout his life. He married his first wife, Alcesta Flora Galusha, in 1838. After her death in 1840, he married Jane Louise Wright, who died in 1842. In 1845, he married Catharine Jane Shepherd. Crane and Shepherd had nine children: six sons and three daughters.William Carey Crane Papers
Accession #0068, The Texas Collection, Baylor University His son, Royston Campbell Crane of Sweetwater, was one of the original founders of the

West Texas Historical Association The West Texas Historical Association is an organization of both academics and laypersons dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of the total history of West Texas, loosely defined geographically as all Texas counties and portions of coun ...

and a mayor of Sweetwater, Texas.Royston C. Crane Collection
Accession #0069, The Texas Collection, Baylor University

Legacy and death

Crane died in office February 27, 1885.

Crane County, Texas Crane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,675. The county seat is Crane. The county was created in 1887 and later organized in 1927. It was named for William Carey Crane, a pr ...

and Crane, Texas, are named for him.

Bibliography

*''Life and Select Literary Remains of Sam Houston of Texas'' (1884)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crane, William Carey 1816 births 1885 deaths Religious leaders from Richmond, Virginia Colgate University alumni Columbian College of Arts and Sciences alumni Mercer University faculty Baptists from Texas Presidents of Baylor University People from Independence, Texas Baptists from Virginia Baptists from New York (state)