The Vidette-Messenger Centennial EditionThe 1936 special edition celebrating Porter County's centennial year . . . .
The following article has been transcribed from the August 18, 1936, issue of The Vidette-Messenger, published in Valparaiso, Indiana. This particular special edition focuses on Porter County's centennial celebration and contains a 94-page compendium of Porter County history up to that time.
Return to the index of articles from The Vidette-Messenger's Porter County Centennial special edition.
Source: The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso,
Porter County, Indiana; August 18, 1936; Volume 10, Section 4, Page 13.
Edgar Dean Crumpacker Had Brilliant Career As Lawyer and Solon
One of Porter
county's most distinguished sons is Edgar Dean Crumpacker, who sat through eight
terms of Congress, was a member of the Indiana Appellate Court and was known as
one of the foremost lawyers in northern Indiana.
Mr. Crumpacker's family was founded in this country before the days of the
Revolution by a hardy Dutch pioneer, John Crumpacker, who came from Holland in
1752 and settled in Bedford county, Virginia. A son of John Crumpacker, Owen
Crumpacker was born in Virginia in 1783, fought in the War of 1812. His wife was
Hannah Woodford, and his third son, Theophilus Crumpacker, was the father of
Edgar Dean Crumpacker.
Theophilus Crumpacker was born in Virginia on Jan. 17, 1823, and came to Indiana
in 1832. He served in the Indiana state legislature for three terms from Porter
county, and also as a member of the Valparaiso city council.
He was married to Harriet Emmons, who was born in Montgomery county, Virginia,
on Dec. 23, 1822.
Edgar Dean Crumpacker was born on May 27, 1852, in LaPorte county, and grew to
manhood on his father's farm. He received his education at the Valparaiso Male &
Female college (Valparaiso university) and later at Indiana university. At the
latter institution he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1876.
He located in Valparaiso in the practice of law. From 1884 to 1888 he served as
prosecuting attorney of the 31st judicial circuit. In 1891 he was appointed by
Governor Hovey as a member f the newly created Indiana appellate court. In the
1892 election he went down to defeat in the democratic landslide.
In 1896 he was nominated for congress on the republican ticket in a sensational
contest at Michigan City in which he defeated J. Frank Hanley, later governor of
Indiana. He was elected in that year and served until 1912 when the Bull Moose
split caused a division in the republican ranks and enabled John B. Peterson, of
Crown Point, to win the office.
While in Congress, Mr. Crumpacker was one of the outstanding members of the
lower House. He was chairman of the important ways and means committee, and the
committee on insular affairs. The Valparaiso man probably was better known in
the South than any other northern member of Congress. This was due to the fact
that he introduced numerous bills in Congress to reduce southern representation
in Congress because of their disenfranchisement of the negro. Crumpacker
received thousands of letters from southern people who resented his attempts to
change congressional representation.
Mr. Crumpacker returned to Valparaiso in 1913 and resumed his law practice with
his brother, Grant Crumpacker, and son, Owen L. Crumpacker. He followed this
until his death on May 19, 1920.
Mr. Crumpacker was married in April, 1879, at Westville to Charlotte Ann Lucas.
To this union were born, Owen L. Crumpacker, a practicing attorney in
Valparaiso; Frederick C. Crumpacker, a practicing attorney at Hammond, and
Maurice E. Crumpacker, a practicing attorney at Portland, Oregon, and a member
of Congress in Oregon for two terms before his death six years ago.
Mrs. Crumpacker while in Washington was one of the organizers of the
Congressional club. She was a fine platform speaker and was called upon
frequently during campaigns for political talks. She was also prominent in the
activities of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and served as regent of
the William Henry Harrison chapter of this city. She died in 1925.
Article transcribed by Steven R. Shook