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CRISP, CHARLES FREDERICK. 



CRISP, CHARLES FREDERICK, an 



American statesman, thirty-second Speaker of the 

 United States House of Representatives, born in 



CHARLES FREDERICK CRISP. 



Sheffield, England, Jan. 29, 1845. His parents 

 were actors, and were on a professional visit to 

 England at the time of the son's birth. The father, 

 William H. Crisp, a native of England, was a natu- 

 ralized citizen of the United States. An older son 

 and two daughters adopted the players' profession, 

 but all are now dead. Charles was brought back 

 to the United States while still an infant, and was 

 educated in the schools of Savannah and Macon. 

 In May, 1864, he enlisted in the Tenth Virginia 

 infantry (Confederate), with which he served for 

 three years, becoming a lieutenant, when in May, 

 1864, he was made a prisoner of war and was sent 

 to Fort Delaware. Here he remained in confine- 

 ment until June, 1865, when, the war being over, 

 he was released. His parents being in Ellaville, 

 he went thither, and soon afterward began the 

 study of law in Americus. He was admitted to 

 the bar in 1866, and began practice in Ellaville, 

 removing in 1873 to Americus, which is still his 

 home. In 1872 he was appointed Solicitor-general 

 of the Southwestern Judicial District of Georgia, 

 and the next year he was reappointed for a term 

 of four years. In June. 1877, he was appointed 

 judge of the Supreme Court of Georgia for the 

 Southwestern Circuit, and in 1878 the Legislature 

 elected him to that office. In 1880 he was re- 

 elected for four years; but two years later he re- 

 signed the judgeship and accepted a nomination 

 for member of Congress from the Third District 

 of Georgia. He has served continuously in that 



body ever since. In 1883 he presided over the 

 Georgia Democratic State Convention. In the 

 House of Representatives he has been known as 

 a faithful attendant, seldom absent 

 from his seat, and a hard worker and 

 ready debater. He was chairman of 

 the Committee of Elections in the 

 Fiftieth Congress, and has served on 

 those on Commerce, Manufactures, 

 and the Pacific Railroads. The large 

 Democratic majority in the House of 

 Representatives of the Fifty-second 

 Congress threw the contest for the 

 Speakership into the Democratic cau- 

 cus. The foremost aspirants were 

 Roger Q. Mills, of Texas, and Mr. 

 Crisp. Mr. Mills was the candidate 

 of those who favored* the nomination 

 of Grover Cleveland for the presi- 

 dency in 1892 and a radical reduction 

 of the tariff. Mr. Crisp is understood 

 to be a free-trader in theory, but prac- 

 tically more conservative than Mr. 

 Mills. He is also understood to favor 

 the free coinage of silver. Other aspi- 

 rants for the nomination were Messrs. 

 Springer, of Illinois, McMillin, of Ten- 

 nessee, and Hatch, of Missouri. There 

 was a long contest, and thirty ballots 

 were necessary before a nomination 

 was made. It was pointed out that 

 Mr. Crisp's support came principally 

 from those States that invariably give 

 Democratic majorities ; that those 

 States which favored his nomination 

 cast 120 Democratic votes in the elec- 

 toral college, while those that favored 

 Mr. Mills cast but 38. The adherents 

 of Mr. Mills based their argument on 

 the desirability of gaining victories in 

 States heretofore Republican. The following 

 table is a record of the ballots: 



* Hatch withdrew and voted for Crisp. 



