Prosper Cravath, Jr., (May 28, 1809May 20, 1886) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

lawyer and

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

pioneer. He was one of the original settlers of

Whitewater, Wisconsin Whitewater is a city located in Walworth and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located near the southern portion of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Whitewater is the home of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. As of t ...

, and helped lay out the town plat. He represented Whitewater in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

during the

1st Wisconsin Legislature The First Wisconsin Legislature convened from June 5, 1848, to August 21, 1848, in regular session. Members of the Assembly and Senate were elected after an election on February 1, 1848, that ratified the proposed state constitution. Wisconsi ...

(1848). He is the namesake of

Cravath Lake Cravath Lake is a freshwater lake located near the center of Whitewater, Wisconsin, Whitewater, Wisconsin. History Cravath Lake was created in the mid-1850s at the intersection point of Whitewater Creek and Spring Brook to power a gristmill that ...

in Whitewater.

Biography

Cravath was born in

Cortland, New York Cortland is a city and the county seat of Cortland County, New York, United States. Known as the Crown City, Cortland is in New York's Southern Tier region. As of 2024, the estimated population of Cortland, New York, is 17,196, reflecting a dec ...

, on May 28, 1809. He

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

in the office of a prominent lawyer in Cortland for two years, but abandoned the study to pursue other work. He moved to

Huron County, Ohio Huron County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,565. Its county seat is Norwalk. The county was created in 1809 and later organized in 1815. Huron County is included in the Norwal ...

, sometime in the 1830s. In March 1839, he came to the town of

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

, in Rock County,

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...

, near the site that would become the city of

. He was soon joined by his parents and other family. During 1839, he participated in the first lawsuit in what would become the town of

Whitewater Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's Stream gradient, gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that foam, froths, making t ...

, though he was not yet a practicing attorney. He was counsel for the plaintiff in a dispute over compensation for labor, and won the case for his client, William Birge. In August 1840, the neighboring town was formalized and named "Whitewater" by an act of the territorial legislature. Later that year, he was summoned by Dr. James Tripp for his expertise to survey the site of a planned village in the neighboring town. Together with David J. Powers, who planned to set up a hotel in the new village, the men devised a plat for a settlement that would become the city of Whitewater. He became a large landowner in the new village and later sold dozens of lots for residential and commercial use. During this time, he resumed the study of law; he was admitted to the Wisconsin bar in 1843 and set up a legal practice. He moved into the town of Whitewater in 1845 and served eight terms on the town board of supervisors in the 1840s, 1850s, and 1860s. On February 1, 1848, the people ratified the

Constitution of Wisconsin The Constitution of the State of Wisconsin is the governing document of the U.S. State of Wisconsin. It establishes the structure and function of state government, describes the state boundaries, and declares the rights of state citizens. The ...

and elected representatives to the

. Prosper Cravath was elected to the

as representative of Walworth County's 2nd Assembly district–then comprising the towns of Whitewater, Richmond, and La Grange, in the northwest corner of the county. At the time, he was a member of the Whig Party. Rather than run for re-election in 1848, he ran for county judge, but was defeated. He subsequently ran for

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

in 1850, but lost again. Like many northern Whigs, he became a member of the Republican Party when that party was organized in the 1850s. He did not run for state office again, but was appointed postmaster at Whitewater under President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

. During the Civil War, he was a member of the county committee to assist in raising

volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

for the Union Army. Later in life, he helped organize the Historical Society of Walworth County. He served several years as an officer of the society, and contributed his own writings on the early days of Whitewater. He died at his home in Whitewater on May 20, 1886, after a long illness.

Personal life and family

Prosper Cravath, Jr., was the eldest son of Prosper Cravath, a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

deacon, and his wife Miriam (' Kinney). Prosper Cravath would ultimately have fifteen siblings. He married Maria Prudence Noble on March 27, 1834. Maria was a daughter of Solomon Noble, a blacksmith who had served in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

. They had two children. Their son, Pitt Cravath, also became a lawyer and was editor and owner of the Whitewater ''Chronicle''. Pitt Cravath also served as a private in the

40th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 40th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was among scores of regiments that were raised in the summer of 1864 as Hundred Days Men, an effort to augme ...

during the Civil War and after the war gave two years service to reconstruction in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

as assistant secretary of state.

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cravath, Prosper 1809 births 1886 deaths Farmers from Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Cortland, New York People from Whitewater, Wisconsin Wisconsin lawyers Wisconsin Whigs Wisconsin Republicans 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature