Martin J. Crawford was born March 17, 1820, in
Jasper County, Georgia. He attended Brownwood Institute and
Mercer University in
Macon, Georgia. After studying law, he was admitted to the
State Bar of Georgia in 1839. Crawford started his
practice in
Hamilton, Georgia—where Crawford was also involved with farming. From 1845 to 1847, Crawford served in the
Georgia House of Representatives. After moving to
Columbus, Georgia, in 1849, he served as a delegate to the
Southern convention at Nashville in May 1850. From February 1, 1854, to November 1854, Crawford was a judge of the
superior courts of the Chattahoochee circuit.
Congress In 1854, Crawford was elected as a
Democrat to the
34th United States Congress to represent
Georgia's 2nd congressional district. He was reelected to two additional terms in the seat (
35th and
36th Congresses), and his congressional service spanned from March 4, 1855, until his resignation on January 23, 1861, with Georgia having seceded the
Union on January 22.
Confederate Congress After resigning the U.S. Congress, Crawford was elected to the
Confederate Provisional Congress, serving from January 1861 to February 22, 1862.
Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed Crawford as a special commissioner to the United States in
Washington, D.C. Civil War Crawford organized the 3rd Regiment, Georgia Cavalry in May 1862 to support the
Confederate States Army, operating with the
Army of Tennessee. Under Crawford's command the 3rd Regiment saw combat, fighting in
Kentucky with General Wheeler. The next campaign at
New Haven saw most of the regiment taken prisoner—the retreating contingent fought at the
Battle of Murfreesboro—then reconstituted under Colonel
J.J. Morrison. The Georgia 3rd surrendered on April 26, 1865, with the
Army of Tennessee—surrendering field officers were Colonels Martin J. Crawford, Richard E. Kennon, and Robert Thompson; Lieutenant Colonel James T. Thornton; and Majors Daniel F. Booton and Hiram H. Johnson.
Later career and death After the war, Crawford became judge of the superior court of the Chattahoochee circuit on October 1, 1875, to fill a vacancy. He was reappointed in 1877 and served on that bench until he resigned on February 9, 1880. The next day, he was appointed to a vacant position on the
Supreme Court of Georgia and served on that court until his death in Columbus. He was buried in that city's Linwood Cemetery. ==See also==