William Craik (October 31, 1761 – February 9, 1807) was an American lawyer and planter who served as a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and as a state judge.

Early and family life

Born near

Port Tobacco, Maryland Port Tobacco, officially Port Tobacco Village, is a town in Charles County, in southern Maryland, United States. The population was 13 at the 2010 census, making Port Tobacco the smallest incorporated town in Maryland. Overview This was historical ...

, the son of prominent physician Dr.

James Craik James Craik (; 17276 February 1814) was Physician General (precursor of the Surgeon General) of the United States Army, as well as George Washington's personal physician and close friend. Biography Education and emigration to America Born on ...

, surgeon of the Continental Army and later President George Washington's personal physician, Craik attended Delameve School in Frederick County and later studied law. He married Ann (1784–1806), daughter of prominent Virginia planter and patriot

William Fitzhugh William Fitzhugh (August 24, 1741June 6, 1809) was an American planter, legislator and patriot during the American Revolutionary War who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress for Virginia in 1779, as well as many terms in the House o ...

Career

Admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

, Craik commenced practice in Port Tobacco and

Leonardtown Leonardtown is a town in and the county seat of St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,563 at the 2020 census. Leonardtown is perhaps most famous for the national oyster-shucking championship that is held annually at the ...

. In 1788, he was a delegate to the states convention that ratified the

U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the nation ...

. Craik also farmed in Charles County using enslaved labor, owning 23 slaves in Charles County in 1790. He moved to

Baltimore 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 ...

and was appointed chief justice of the fifth judicial district of Maryland on January 13, 1793, and served until his resignation in 1796. Craik was elected as a Federalist to the Fourth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

Jeremiah Crabb Jeremiah Crabb (1760February 19, 1800) was a United States representative from Maryland. Jeremiah Crabb was born in the Province of Maryland in 1760, the son of Henry Wright Crabb. He served in the American Revolutionary War as second lieutenan ...

; he was reelected to the Fifth and Sixth Congresses and served from December 5, 1796, to March 3, 1801; again appointed chief justice of the fifth judicial district of Maryland and served from October 20, 1801, to January 28, 1802. During this time he resided in

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...

Death and legacy

He died in Alexandria, Virginia in 1807, months after his wife, and was buried at her father's estate in nearby Fairfax County.''Alexandria Advertiser'' Feb 9, 1807 Died this morning, at 6 o'clock, Wm Craik, esq late a representative in congress. His friends are invited to attend his funeral from the house of William Fitzhugh, to Ravensworth, precisely at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Craik, William 1761 births 1807 deaths Maryland state court judges Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland People of colonial Maryland People from Charles County, Maryland People from Frederick, Maryland