Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-12-17
CHARLES F. CRISP.
His Public Career.

Charles Frederick Crisp, of Georgia,
was born in Sheffield, England. on the
10Th of January, 1S45 His parents
were visiting there at the time, and he
was brought by them to this country
before he was year old
His early eduratiOn was obtained in
the schoo s of Savannah and Macon,
the then leading cities of the State
which he now represents in Congress.
He enlisted in the Confederate Army
in the first yearof the war, and finally
became lieutenant in the Tenth
Virginia Infantry, serving with his
regiment until May, 1854, whenfhe
was taken prisoner and carried tQzFort
Delaware. There he remained@until
the close of the war, being released in
June, 1865.
He at once returned to the home of
his parents at EIIaville, in Georgia, and
after a brief interval began to read law
at Americus, being admitted to the
Bar there the following year and forth
with commencing practice at Ellaville.
The young lawyer made his way with
great rapidity 10 the front rank Of his
profession. His amiabiIity and com
pete self control, has alert mind and
judicial cast Of thought, all combined
to bring him quickly to the notice of
the members of his profession through
out the State and to win him hosts of
friends among all classes of the people.
There was vast deal of interest TAX
en- in the rising young lawyer, and
there were many reasons for ft,aot the
least of these being the fact that he
had sprung from a family of actors of
excellent repute in all the Southern
country. For years before the war his
relatives had been well known and
popular actors. His father played at
the old Park Theatre in this city years
ago and he was one of the earliest sup
ports of Mrs. Mowatt at the beginning
of her career
Promotion soon came to Mr.. Crisp.
In 1872 he was appointed Solicitor
General of the Southwestern Judicial
Circuit, and was again appointed in
1873 for four years. term. The same
year he made his home in Americas,
where he still lives, and in June, 1877
he was appointed Judge of the Superior
Court. In 1878 he was chosen by the
General Assembly for the same office,
and in 1880 he was reelected for four
years, but resigned in 1882 to accept
the Democratic nomination for Con-
gress from the Third District.
The same qualities which brought
about his rapid advancement in the
law secured his equally pronounced
successes in politics. We find him
President of the Democratic Conven-
ton at Atlanta in 1883, when the candi-
date for Governor was putin nomina-
tion. When his fifs term in Congress
expired he was renominated for Sec
ond and then third, fourth and fifth
terms, serving, as all the country
knows, with great credit to himself and
usefulness to his party and his State
In the Forty-eighth, Fifty-ninth, Fif-
tieth and Fifty-first Congresses. A year
ago he was elected to the Fifty-Second
Congress, Of which be has just been
chosen the Speaker. Judge Crisp for q
number of years has devoted himself
exclusively to his Congressional duties.
his professional business
and to his work IN the
House Of Representatives with.
out neglecting one of the two interests,
so with characteristic unselfishness he
sacrificed his private fortune for the
public good. His fellow-townsmen
are his warmest friends. His wife was
brought up in Eleaville, her father
being wealthy planter in that town,
and the Judge has four children, two
boys and two girls. His oldest daugh-
ter is the wife of a leading wholesale
merchant of Americus.
Judge Crisp has made most en-
viable reputation in Congress. For
several sessions he has been one of the
acknowledged leaders on the Demo
cratic side of the House, ranking with
the best of his political friends. He
stood shoulder to shoulder with Car
lisle in many bitter fight, and no one
the plucky Georgian. Once, when
reading from an old speech Of Con-
gressmen Reed protesting against arbi-
trary rulings, he CLOSED his quotation
by wave of his hand towards the
Speakers chair and the remark ~
appeal from Philip drunk TO Philip
sobern Another, when Ben Butter
worth said he always stood by the
Speaker,to which Crisp retorted: "Yes,
you remind ME of the Hindoo bowling
before his god and saying:'I L know
that you are ugly, but feel that you
are great.'" So well appreciated were
his sterling fighting qualiti,s that
more than once he has been dubbed
the Bulldog of the House.
The Judges friends in Georgia some
time since were extremely anxious
that he should enter the race for the
Democratic nomination for Governor
of the State, but wiser counsel finally
prevailed and he decided to retain his
place In congress. AS the result has
amply demonstrated, his choice was
an exceedingly wise one. He remain
ed at bis post in Washington and for
the frs time since the famous days OF
Howell Cobb Georgia has one of her
representatives in the Speaker's chair.
In the last session the Georgian dis
tinguished himself by his battles in
the Committee on Elections. He never
loses his temper. 1t has been noticed