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Crooks, William "Wm."

House 1875-77 (District 23); Senate 1881-82 (District 23)

Party when first elected:  Not Available

Counties Served:  Ramsey

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Date of Birth: 6/20/1832
Birth Place: New York City, New York
Birth County:
Birth Country: United States
Date of Death: 12/17/1907
Gender: Male
Religion:
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names: Wm.
City of Residence (when first elected): Saint Paul
Occupation (when first elected): Civil Engineer

EDUCATION

U.S. Military Academy, West Point; College Graduate; Department of Civil Engineers; Class of 1854

OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

Military: 6th Minnesota Regiment (United States Civil War, Colonel); 08/22/1862 to 10/28/1864

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Spouse: Married (when first elected); Widower (first listed in 1876)
Children:
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

GENERAL NOTES

He came to St. Paul, Minnesota in 1857.

"He is a Democrat all over" (Biographical Sketches of the Officers of the State Government of Minnesota and of the 19th Minnesota State Legislature by C.L. Hall, 1877, p. 34).

"In honor of his railroad services, the first steam locomotive operated in Minnesota was named for him" (Colonels in Blue, 2017, p. 208).

He died in Portland, Oregon and is buried in Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul, Minnesota (Colonels in Blue, 2017, p. 208).

Total Days Served: 1827

SESSIONS SERVED

22nd Legislative Session (1881-1882)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 23
Elected: 11/2/1880
Residence: Saint Paul
Term of Office: 1/4/1881 to 1/1/1883
Counties Represented: Ramsey
Occupation: Civil Engineer
Party: Not Available
Committees:
  • Finance
  • Geological and Natural History Survey of the State (Chair)
  • Military Affairs
  • Public Lands
  • State Reform School

19th Legislative Session (1877)

  Session Details
Body: House
District: 23
Elected: 11/7/1876
Residence: Saint Paul
Term of Office: 1/2/1877 to 1/7/1878
Counties Represented: Ramsey
Occupation: Civil Engineer/Former Chief Engineer, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
Party: Democratic Party Notes: "He is a Democrat all over." (Biographical Sketches of the Officers of the State Government of Minnesota and of the 19th Minnesota State Legislature by C.L. Hall, 1877, p. 34)
Committees:
  • Joint Grasshopper (Chair)
  • Railroads
  • State Prison

18th Legislative Session (1876)

  Session Details
Body: House
District: 23
Elected: 11/2/1875
Residence: Saint Paul
Term of Office: 1/4/1876 to 1/1/1877
Counties Represented: Ramsey
Occupation: Civil Engineer
Party: Not Available
Committees:
  • Railroads
  • State Prison

17th Legislative Session (1875)

  Session Details
Body: House
District: 23
Elected: 11/3/1874
Residence: Saint Paul
Term of Office: 1/5/1875 to 1/3/1876
Counties Represented: Ramsey
Occupation: Civil Engineer
Party: Not Available
Committees:
  • Elections
  • State Prison
Articles & Books About
Hunt, Roger D. Colonels in Blue: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin: A Civil War Biographical Dictionary, 2017, p. 207-208.

"Hon. William Crooks." Memoirs of the State Officers; and of the Nineteenth Legislature of Minnesota, by C.L. Hall. Minneapolis: Johnson & Smith, p. 34


These files are available in the Legislative Reference Library.