Edgar Dean Crumpacker (May 27, 1851 – May 19, 1920) was an American lawyer and politician who served eight terms as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

from 1897 to 1913. He was the father of Maurice E. Crumpacker and cousin of Shepard J. Crumpacker Jr.

Early life and education

Born in

Westville, Indiana Westville is a town in New Durham Township, LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. The population, as of the 2020 census is 5,257. It is included in the Michigan City, Indiana-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. Westville is lo ...

, Crumpacker attended the common schools and Valparaiso Academy,

Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso ( ), colloquially Valpo, is a city in and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 34,151 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. History The site of present-day Valparaiso ...

. He studied law in the law department of

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

at Bloomington. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1876 and commenced practice in

Career

He served as prosecuting attorney for the thirty-first judicial district of Indiana 1884–1888. He served as appellate judge, by appointment of Governor Hovey, from March 1891 to January 1, 1893.

Congress

Crumpacker was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-fifth and to the seven succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1913). He served as chairman of the Committee on the Census ( Fifty-eighth through Sixty-first Congresses).

Crumpacker Bill

In 1901, before his chairmanship, he attempted to invoke Section 2 of the

14th Amendment The Fourteenth Amendment may refer to: * Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which grants citizenship to everyone born in the U.S. and subject to its jurisdiction and protects civil and political liberties * Fourteenth Amendment ...

to reduce Southern states' representation in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

because of their suppression of

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

voters. Specifically, Crumpacker wanted to reduce

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

's House seats from 7 to 4,

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

's from 7 to 4,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

's from 9 to 6, and

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

's from 6 to 4. All four of those states had passed state constitutions making it nearly impossible for African Americans to vote. Crumpacker's motion to consider revising state apportionments was defeated, 94–136.

Later career and death

He was an unsuccessful politician candidate for reelection in 1912 to the Sixty-third Congress losing to Democrat John B. Peterson in the

1912 United States House of Representatives elections The 1912 United States House of Representatives elections were elections for the United States House of Representatives to elect members to serve in the 63rd United States Congress. They were held for the most part on November 5, 1912, while Mai ...

. He resumed the practice of law in

, where he died May 19, 1920. He was interred in Graceland Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crumpacker, Edgar Dean 1851 births 1920 deaths Indiana state court judges People from Valparaiso, Indiana Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives