Stephen Crane (1709 – July 1, 1780) was an American politician from Elizabethtown (

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

from 1774 to 1776 and signed the

Continental Association The Continental Association, also known as the Articles of Association or simply the Association, was an agreement among the American colonies adopted by the First Continental Congress on October 20, 1774. It called for a trade boycott against B ...

. He also served in the

Provincial Congress of New Jersey The Provincial Congress of New Jersey was a transitional governing body of the Province of New Jersey in the early part of the American Revolution. It first met in 1775 with representatives from all New Jersey's then-thirteen counties, to superse ...

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

and

New Jersey Legislative Council The New Jersey Legislative Council was the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature under the New Jersey Constitution of 1776 until it was replaced by the New Jersey Senate under the Constitution of 1844. History The Legislative Council replaced ...

. Stephen did not attend the next Congress in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

as he needed to attend to divisions in his own state between

East Jersey The Province of East Jersey, along with the Province of West Jersey, between 1674 and 1702 in accordance with the Quintipartite Deed, were two distinct political divisions of the Province of New Jersey, which became the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

and

West Jersey West Jersey and East Jersey were two distinct parts of the Province of New Jersey. The political division existed for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702. Determination of an exact location for a border between West Jersey and East Jersey was ofte ...

. He felt deeply about the taxes that Britain had imposed upon the

Colonies In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...

and had made sure of his protest upon his journey to England with Matthias Hatfield. Crane was born in Elizabethtown. He served as sheriff of Essex County and was elected as a member of its town committee in 1750. He was also a judge of the

court of common pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

. From 1766 to 1773, he was a member of the colony's general assembly from 1766 to 1773 and served as speaker in 1771. He was also mayor of Elizabethtown before he became a member of the Continental Congress. Until his death in 1780, Crane held several public offices in New Jersey. Crane was

bayonet A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...

ed by Hessian soldiers passing through Elizabethtown on their way to

Battle of Springfield The Battle of Springfield was fought during the American Revolutionary War on June 23, 1780, in Union County, New Jersey. After the Battle of Connecticut Farms, on June 7, 1780, had foiled Lieutenant General Wilhelm, Baron von Knyphausen’s ...

on June 23, 1780, and he died of his wounds on July 1, 1780. He was buried at the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth with his wife and father, Daniel Crane.

Family

* Phebe Crane, wife (1714-1776) * William Crane, son; born 1748 in Elizabethtown, served as major of an Essex County, New Jersey regiment. Fought with Richard Montgomery in the Battle of Quebec, received a leg wound that required amputation years later. Promoted to brigadier general in the New Jersey militia after the war. * Ichabod Bennet Crane (July 18, 1787 – October 1857) grandson; born in Elizabethtown, commissioned a second lieutenant in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...

, served aboard the USS ''United States''. *

Charles Henry Crane __NOTOC__ Charles Henry Crane B.A. M.A. M.D. (July 19, 1825 – October 10, 1883) was an American physician and the 13th Surgeon General of the United States Army (1882–1883). He was the son of Colonel Ichabod B. Crane Crane received his B.A. ...

(19 July 1825 – October 10, 1883) great-grandson; became a Brigadier General and Surgeon General of the United States (1882–1883). *

Joseph Halsey Crane Joseph Halsey Crane (August 31, 1782 – November 13, 1851) was an attorney, soldier, jurist, and legislator. He was born in Elizabethtown, New Jersey He was the son of General Wiliam Crane and Abigail (Miller) Crane and the grandson of Stephen ...

grandson * William Crane; (1778–1830) grandson, * Jonathan Townley Crane, great-grandson, father of author Stephen Crane. *

Stephen Crane Stephen Crane (November 1, 1871 – June 5, 1900) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. Prolific throughout his short life, he wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism an ...

; great-great-grandson, author, who is best known for the novel ''

The Red Badge of Courage ''The Red Badge of Courage'' is a war novel by American author Stephen Crane (1871–1900). Taking place during the American Civil War, the story is about a young private of the Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of battle. Ove ...

''. * Bruce Crane; American painter (1857–1937) Bruce Crane (1857–1937): American Tonalist. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 84-81018

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crane, Stephen Continental Congressmen from New Jersey 18th-century American politicians New Jersey sheriffs Members of the New Jersey General Assembly Members of the New Jersey Legislative Council 1709 births 1780 deaths Speakers of the New Jersey General Assembly Mayors of Elizabeth, New Jersey Signers of the Continental Association Crane family of New Jersey