Charles Croswell

Charles Miller Croswell (October 31, 1825 – December 13, 1886) was the 17th governor of Michigan from 1877 to 1881.

Early life in New York

Croswell was born in Newburgh, New York, the only son of John and Sallie (née Hicks) Croswell. His father, who was of Scots-Irish extraction, was a paper maker, and carried on business in New York City. His ancestors on his mother's side were of Knickerbocker descent. Some members of the Croswell family were connected with notable events in New York and Connecticut, including Harry Croswell, a pro-Federalist newspaper editor, convicted of libel against President Thomas Jefferson in a landmark case in New York. When Croswell was seven years old his mother and younger sister died of fever. A few months later his father accidentally drowned in the Hudson River. Charles was taken in to live with the family of his mother's brother, Daniel Hicks.

Early life in Michigan

In 1837, when Croswell was 12, the Hicks family moved to Adrian, Michigan. At 16, he began studying to be a carpenter—his uncle's trade—and pursued that vocation for four years. According to one biography, he "worked at it very diligently ... maintaining himself, and devoting his spare time to reading and the acquirement of knowledge."

Croswell began to study the law in 1846. She left behind one son and two daughters: Charles Morton, Harriet (Hattie), and Lucy Elizabeth.

In 1880, Croswell married Elizabeth Musgrave, who was twenty-five years his junior. A daughter by his second wife was born three months after his death.

Retirement and death

thumb|150px|right|Croswell grave

Croswell returned to Adrian in 1881 after two terms as governor. He was active in retirement, serving as president of the Lenawee County Savings Bank. He also began buying shares in the Adrian Union Hall Company, which operated the town's largest event hall; he eventually became its majority owner and in 1883 installed his son, C.M. Croswell Jr., as its manager. The theater is still in operation and now known as the Croswell Opera House.

One afternoon in December 1886, he sat down by the stove in the offices of the Lenawee County Savings Bank and complained of a chill. This was the beginning of an illness that was to claim his life. He died on December 13, 1886, at the age of 61.

Croswell was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Adrian. Three months after Croswell's death, his widow gave birth to a daughter, who was named Sallie Hicks Croswell, after Croswell's mother.

Elizabeth later remarried to become Elizabeth Merrill and donated the Croswell home in Adrian to the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The home serves as the chapter offices.

The house in Adrian, Michigan where he lived before his governorship was listed as a Michigan State Historic Site in 1958 and later listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Governor Charles Croswell House in 1972.

Memorials

A painting of Croswell now hangs in the Michigan State Capitol.

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| thumb|upright|A painting of Charles Croswell the 17th Governor of the US state of Michigan from 1877 to 1881. The painting and frame were created by Joshua Adam Risner in 2017 and now hangs in the Michigan State Capitol.

| thumb|upright|A painting of Charles Croswell the 17th Governor of the US state of Michigan from 1877 to 1881. The painting was created by Joshua Adam Risner in 2017 and now hangs in the Michigan State Capitol.

References

External links

The Political Graveyard
The Home of Charles Miller Croswell