Louis Convers Cramton (December 2, 1875 – June 23, 1966) was a politician and jurist from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. Cramton was born in

Hadley Township, Michigan Hadley Township (, ) is a civil township of Lapeer County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,547 at the 2020 Census. Communities * Cadyville was the area around a school house built in 1838. Starting in 1842, it had its own s ...

and attended the common schools of Lapeer County. He graduated from Lapeer High School in 1893 and from the law department of the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

in 1899. He was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

in 1899 and commenced practice in Lapeer. He discontinued the practice of his profession in 1905 and published the '' Lapeer County Clarion'', 1905-1923. He was law clerk of the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

for three terms and deputy commissioner of railroads of Michigan in 1907. He was secretary of the

Michigan Railroad Commission The Michigan Railroad Commission was an agency in the state of Michigan which regulated the operations of railroads within the state. It was established by the Michigan Legislature in 1873; in 1919 it was abolished and its functions transferred to ...

from September 1907 to January 1, 1909 and a member of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

in 1909 and 1910. In 1912, Cramton was elected as a Republican to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

from

Michigan's 7th congressional district Michigan's 7th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Southern Michigan and portions of Central Michigan. The current district, drawn in 2022, centers around Lansing, Michigan, Lansing, Michigan's state capital, and ...

. He served in the

63rd Congress The 63rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1913, t ...

and the eight succeeding Congresses, from March 4, 1913 to March 3, 1931. In 1930 and 1932, Cramton lost to Jesse P. Wolcott in the Republican primary. He was special assistant to the

U.S. Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natur ...

in 1931 and 1932. He led studies of the area around the Colorado River that led to the establishment of the first National Recreation Area,

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Lake Mead National Recreation Area is a U.S. national recreation area in Southeastern Nevada and Northwestern Arizona. Operated by the National Park Service, Lake Mead NRA follows the Colorado River corridor from the westernmost boundary of Gran ...

. In 1934, he was elected circuit judge of the 40th state judicial circuit, serving from November 21, 1934 to December 31, 1941. He lost his bid for re-election in November 1941. He was a delegate to the

1940 Republican National Convention The 1940 Republican National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from June 24 to June 28, 1940. It nominated Wendell Willkie of New York for President of the United States, president and Senator Charles L. McNary, Charles McNary ...

. In 1945, Cramton received an honorary LL.D., Doctor of Laws, from Howard University. He resumed the practice of law and in 1948 was re-elected to the Michigan House of Representatives, serving 1948-1960. Cramton died in

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township, ...

and is interred in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Lapeer, Michigan. Cramton's son, Louis K. Cramton, served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was a member of Michigan House of Representatives from Midland County, 1971-80.

Interests and accomplishments

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

Self Guided Tour
Capper-Cramton Act of 1930 protecting natural space

* George Washington Memorial Parkwa

* Great Falls Park * Patowmack Canal * Rock Creek *

Colonial National Monument Colonial National Historical Park is a large national historical park located in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia operated by the National Park Service. It protects and interprets several sites relating to the Colony of Virginia and the his ...

** Jamestown ** Willimasburg ** Yorktown **

Colonial Parkway Colonial Parkway is a scenic parkway linking the three points of Virginia's Historic Triangle, Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. It is part of the National Park Service's Colonial National Historical Park. Virginia's official state cl ...

1909 The Warner Cramton Law "limiting number of saloons to one for each 500 population passed; also forbidding free lunch, except crackers and pretzels."

References

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cramton, Louis Convers 1875 births 1966 deaths Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Michigan state court judges University of Michigan Law School alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan People from Lapeer County, Michigan People from Lapeer, Michigan 20th-century members of the Michigan Legislature 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives