Robert Crozier (October 13, 1827October 2, 1895) was an attorney, judge and politician from

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. A Republican, he was most notable for his service as Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court (1864–1867) and

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from

(1873–1874).

Early life

Crozier was born in Cadiz, Ohio on October 13, 1827, the son of John Thomas Crozier (1790–1867) and Jane Ann (Ginn) Crozier (1801–1839). He attended the public schools and Cadiz Academy, then began to study law with an attorney in

Carrollton, Ohio Carrollton is a village in Carroll County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 3,087 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Canton–Massillon metropolitan area. History The village was established as "Centreville" ...

. He was admitted to the bar in 1848, and began to practice in Carrollton.

Start of career

While residing in Carrollton, Crozier also became editor of the ''Carroll Free Press'' newspaper. Originally active in politics as a Whig, from 1848 to 1850, Crozier served as

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in civil law. The prosecution is the legal party responsible ...

of Carroll County. In the 1850s, Crozier served on Carroll County's board of examiners, which was responsible for reviewing the qualifications of teachers in the public schools and approving them for employment.

Continued career

Crozier moved to

Leavenworth, Kansas Leavenworth () is the county seat and largest city of Leavenworth County, Kansas, Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States. Part of the Kansas City metropolitan area, Leavenworth is located on the west bank of the Missouri River, on the site o ...

, on March 7, 1857, where he established the '' Leavenworth Daily Times'' newspaper and continued to practice law. He became a Republican when the party was founded in the mid-1850s, and he served on the Kansas territorial council from 1857 to 1858. In 1861, and Crozier was appointed

United States attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the district of Kansas by President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

. He served until 1864, when he resigned. From 1864 to 1867, Crozier served as Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court. After leaving the bench, he resumed practicing law and also served as cashier and manager of the First National Bank of Leavenworth.

Later career

On November 24, 1873, Crozier was appointed to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Alexander Caldwell. He was not a candidate for election to the seat, and served until February 12, 1874, when a successor was elected. After leaving the Senate, Crozier resumed his banking and legal interests in Leavenworth. Crozier served as judge of the first judicial district of Kansas from 1876 to 1892. He was a member of the

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

of the Kansas Historical Society from 1886 to 1889.

Death and burial

After retiring, Crozier continued reside in Leavenworth. He died in Leavenworth on October 2, 1895. Crozier was buried at Mount Muncie Cemetery in Lansing, Kansas.

Family

In August 1852, Crozier married Margaret Atkinson (1824–1865) of Carrollton. In October 1877, Crozier married Susan Eleanor Hunt (1838–1902) of

Princeton, New Jersey The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...

. With his first wife, Crozier was the father of son William (1855–1942) and daughter Margaretta (Maggie) (1863–1941). William Crozier was a career officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

who attained the rank of brigadier general and served as the Army's Chief of Ordnance from 1901 to 1917. Margaretta Crozier was the wife of John Edgar Reyburn and mother of William Stuart Reyburn.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crozier, Robert 1827 births 1895 deaths American bankers People from Cadiz, Ohio Ohio Whigs Politicians from Leavenworth, Kansas Members of the Kansas Territorial Legislature Leavenworth Times people Kansas Republicans United States attorneys for the District of Kansas Kansas state court judges Chief justices of the Kansas Supreme Court Republican Party United States senators from Kansas American people of Norman descent 19th-century American judges 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century Kansas politicians 19th-century United States senators