Martin McNulty Crane (November 17, 1853 – August 3, 1943) was an American attorney and politician. He was a Democratic, Granger movement, and

Populist Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...

politician in the state of Texas, and held various positions in the state government. When he was state senator, he was a prominent formulator and proponent of the Railroad Commission Law that created the

Railroad Commission of Texas The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC; also sometimes called the Texas Railroad Commission, TRC) is the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and su ...

. During his tenure as Attorney General of Texas, Crane brought and won the first

antitrust Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...

suit in the history of Texas against the Waters-Pierce Oil Company.

Early life and education

The son of Martin and Mary (''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' McNulty) Crane, the younger Martin was born in

Grafton, West Virginia Grafton is a city in Taylor County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 4,729 at the 2020 census. Located along the Tygart Valley River, it originally developed as a junction point for the Baltimore and Ohio ...

. His mother died when he was aged four years. During the ensuing year before his father also died, young Martin first moved with his father to

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

and, then, to

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. Completely orphaned by 5 years old, Martin McNulty Crane was raised by various family friends in Tennessee until at age 17 he emigrated from Tennessee to Texas, where he worked various occupations and read law. He was admitted to the Texas bar on December 25, 1877.

Career

He was elected as the County Attorney for Johnson County in November 1878 and was re-elected to the same office in 1880. Crane was a member of the law firm Brown, Crane & Ramsey based in Cleburne. Politically, Crane sympathized with the beleaguered North Texas farmers. In 1884, he was elected to the Nineteenth State Legislature and supported programs put forth by the

Farmer’s Alliance The Farmers' Alliance was an organized agrarian economic movement among American farmers that developed and flourished ca. 1875. The movement included several parallel but independent political organizations — the National Farmers' Alliance and ...

. He was a member of the Texas House of Representatives until 1887. In 1890, Crane was elected to the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate ...

, representing Johnson,

Hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as Mountain, mountains. Hills ...

, and

Ellis Ellis is a surname of Welsh and English origin. Retrieved 21 January 2014 An independent French origin of the surname is said to derive from the phrase fleur-de-lis. It has also been noted to be a Jewish surname. People with the surname include ...

counties. In 1892, he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas. In 1894, he resigned this office to successfully seek election as Texas Attorney General. He further distinguished himself over the next four years; by as Attorney General, successfully arguing a number of precedent-setting antitrust cases. He brought and won the first antitrust suit in Texas against the Waters-Pierce Oil Company. During his legislative, executive and prosecutorial career, he sought to curb the then unregulated powers of the railroads, oil companies and mercantile banks, which were anathema to the interests of Texas farmers. He was a staunch supporter of the reform efforts of Texas governors

James S. Hogg James Stephen Hogg (March 24, 1851March 3, 1906) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the 20th governor of Texas from 1891 to 1895. He was born near Rusk, Texas. Hogg was a follower of the conservative New South Creed which beca ...

and

Charles A. Culberson Charles Allen Culberson (June 10, 1855 – March 19, 1925) was an American political figure and Democrat who served as the 21st governor of Texas from 1895 to 1899, and as a United States senator from Texas from 1899 to 1923. According to one ...

. Crane resigned from the office of Attorney General in 1899 and moved to Dallas to continue his law career. He was a delegate to the

1912 Democratic National Convention The 1912 Democratic National Convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory off North Howard Street in Baltimore from June 25 to July 2, 1912. The Convention The convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore from June 25 t ...

. In 1917, Crane served as the chief prosecuting counsel for the successful impeachment of Texas Governor

James E. Ferguson James Edward Ferguson Jr. (August 31, 1871 – September 21, 1944), known as Pa Ferguson, was an American Democratic politician and the 26th governor of Texas, in office from 1915 to 1917. He was indicted and impeached during his second term ...

. In the 1920s, Crane headed the Dallas County Citizens League, which had been established to oppose the growing political influence of the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

. Crane died in 1943 at age 88, after a short illness

Personal life

Martin Crane married Eula O. Taylor on January 22, 1879. One of Crane's descendants is the

indie folk Indie folk (also called alternative folk) is an alternative genre of music that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Characteristics The staff of '' Paste Magazine'' said in 2020: "No music genre ...

singer-songwriter Martin McNulty Crane, the frontman of the band

Brazos The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...

References

External links

*http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fcr04 {{DEFAULTSORT:Crane, Martin McNulty Lieutenant governors of Texas Texas attorneys general Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives 1853 births 1943 deaths People from Grafton, West Virginia 19th-century Baptists Baptists from Texas Texas lawyers 19th-century members of the Texas Legislature