Terry Lavelle Crapo (July 2, 1939 – September 1, 1982) was an American attorney, educator, and Republican Party politician who served in the

Idaho House of Representatives The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms. The state is divided into 35 districts, each of which elects two representatives to separate se ...

for six years, and as

majority leader In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.

from 1968 to 1972. He had led the legislature as the first state to adopt the

Uniform Probate Code The Uniform Probate Code ( commonly abbreviated UPC) is a uniform act drafted by National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) governing inheritance and the decedents' estates in the United States. The primary purposes of t ...

. He died from leukemia ten years after retiring from the Idaho House. A practicing attorney in

Idaho Falls, Idaho Idaho Falls (Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: Dembimbosaage) is a city in and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. It is the state's largest city outside the Boise metropolitan area. As of the 2020 Un ...

, who became a partner with his firm Holden Kidwell Hahn & Crapo, he also taught estate law at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

for several years as a visiting professor. After his death, his younger brother

Mike Crapo Michael Dean Crapo ( ; born May 20, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Idaho, a seat he has held since 1999. A member of the Republican Party, Crapo previously served as the U.S. repres ...

, also an attorney, entered politics, ultimately serving as a

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from Idaho.

Biography

Terry L. Crapo was the oldest of four brothers and two sisters in a large Mormon family and attended local schools. He was 12 years older than his brother Michael Crapo. He earned both his B.A. with highest honors and an M.A. degree at

in 1960. He went east to study law, graduating from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1963. He graduated second in his class, and served as Associate Editor of the ''

Harvard Law Review The ''Harvard Law Review'' is a law review published by an independent student group at Harvard Law School. According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', the ''Harvard Law Review''s 2015 impact factor of 4.979 placed the journal first out of 143 ...

.'' Crapo returned to Idaho to practice law, settling in Idaho Falls, where he joined what became Holden Kidwell Hahn & Crapo (his younger brother Michael also joined the firm). It is one of the largest and oldest firms in eastern Idaho, established by four Holden brothers in 1896. Terry Crapo married and had a family. He became a Republican Party member and continued in

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

. He entered politics in

Idaho Falls Idaho Falls (Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: Dembimbosaage) is a city in and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. It is the state's largest city outside the Boise metropolitan area. As of the 2020 Un ...

. In 1966 through 1972, Crapo served in the Idaho State House, where he was elected as

Majority Leader In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.

and serving from 1968 through 1972. He led Idaho to be the first state to enact the

."Terry L. Crapo"
Holden Kidwell Hahn & Crapo Law Offices; accessed 2 July 2016 In 1974 Crapo began as a visiting professor at

, teaching classes in estate planning: document drafting, wills, federal estate and gift tax, and advance estate planning. He continued to teach at BYU until his death from leukemia in 1982."Terry L. Crapo"
Faculty Profile, Brigham Young University; accessed 2 July 2016

Professional associations

He was a member of the Idaho State Bar, the American Bar Association, the American Law Institute, and a Fellow of the American College of Probate Counsel.

Legacy

After Terry's death, his younger brother Michael Crapo entered politics, being elected to the State Senate in 1984. He was elected as a US Congressman and, in 1998, as

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from Idaho.

Works

*''Idaho Estate Planning Forms'' *''Idaho Probate System''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crapo, Terry L. 1939 births 1982 deaths Brigham Young University faculty T Harvard Law School alumni Idaho lawyers Latter Day Saints from Idaho Republican Party members of the Idaho House of Representatives Deaths from leukemia 20th-century American politicians