Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Crawford, Thomas Hartley

CRAWFORD, Thomas Hartley, lawyer, b. in Chambersburg, Pa., 14 Nov., 1786; d. in Washington, D. C., 27 Jan., 1863. He was graduated at Princeton in 1804, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1807, and began to practice in Chambersburg. Later he was elected as a Jackson democrat to congress, and was re-elected, serving from 7 Dec., 1829, till 2 March, 1833. During 1833 he was a member of the state legislature, and in 1836 was appointed a commissioner to investigate alleged frauds in the purchase of the reservation of the land of the Creek Indians. From 1838 till 1845 he held the office of commissioner of Indian affairs. In 1845 he was appointed judge of the criminal court of the District of Columbia, and continued as such for nearly forty years, until his death.