Terry Lavelle Crapo (July 2, 1939 – September 1, 1982) was an American attorney, educator, and Republican Party politician who served in the

Idaho House of Representatives The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho Legislature. It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms. The state is divided into 35 districts, each of which elects two representatives to separate seats. ...

for six years, and as majority leader from 1968 to 1972. He had led the legislature as the first state to adopt the

Uniform Probate Code The Uniform Probate Code ( commonly abbreviated UPC) is a uniform act drafted by National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) governing inheritance and the decedents' estates in the United States. The primary purposes of ...

. He died from leukemia ten years after retiring from the Idaho House. A practicing attorney in

Idaho Falls, Idaho Idaho Falls is the fourth most populous city in Idaho and the county seat of Bonneville County. It is the state's most populous city outside the Boise metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of Idaho Falls was 64,818.2020 Cen ...

, who became a partner with his firm Holden Kidwell Hahn & Crapo, he also taught estate law at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

for several years as a visiting professor. After his death, his younger brother

Mike Crapo Michael Dean Crapo ( ; born May 20, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Idaho, a seat he has held since 1999. A member of the Rep ...

, also an attorney, entered politics, ultimately serving as a

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 Idaho.

Biography

Terry L. Crapo was the oldest of four brothers and two sisters in a large Mormon family and attended local schools. He was 12 years older than his brother Michael Crapo. He earned both his B.A. with highest honors and an M.A. degree at

in 1960. He went east to study law, graduating from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

in 1963. He graduated second in his class, and served as Associate Editor of the ''

Harvard Law Review The ''Harvard Law Review'' is a law review published by an independent student group at Harvard Law School. According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', the ''Harvard Law Review''s 2015 impact factor of 4.979 placed the journal first out of ...

.'' Crapo returned to Idaho to practice law, settling in Idaho Falls, where he joined what became Holden Kidwell Hahn & Crapo (his younger brother Michael also joined the firm). It is one of the largest and oldest firms in eastern Idaho, established by four Holden brothers in 1896. Terry Crapo married and had a family. He became a Republican Party member and continued in

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

. He entered politics in

Idaho Falls Idaho Falls is the List of cities in Idaho, fourth most populous city in Idaho and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, Bonneville County. It is the state's most populous city outside the Boise metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United St ...

. In 1966 through 1972, Crapo served in the Idaho State House, where he was elected as Majority Leader and serving from 1968 through 1972. He led Idaho to be the first state to enact the

."Terry L. Crapo"
Holden Kidwell Hahn & Crapo Law Offices; accessed 2 July 2016 In 1974 Crapo began as a visiting professor at

, teaching classes in estate planning: document drafting, wills, federal estate and gift tax, and advance estate planning. He continued to teach at BYU until his death from leukemia in 1982."Terry L. Crapo"
Faculty Profile, Brigham Young University; accessed 2 July 2016

Professional associations

He was a member of the Idaho State Bar, the American Bar Association, the American Law Institute, and a Fellow of the American College of Probate Counsel.

Legacy

After Terry's death, his younger brother Michael Crapo entered politics, being elected to the State Senate in 1984. He was elected as a US Congressman and, in 1998, as

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 Idaho.

Works

*''Idaho Estate Planning Forms'' *''Idaho Probate System''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crapo, Terry L. 1939 births 1982 deaths Brigham Young University faculty T Harvard Law School alumni Idaho lawyers Latter Day Saints from Idaho People from Idaho Falls, Idaho Republican Party members of the Idaho House of Representatives Deaths from leukemia in the United States 20th-century members of the Idaho Legislature