Edgar D. Crumpacker, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of Edgar D. Crumpacker
HON. EDGAR D. CRUMPACKER.
There are men, and the number is by no means small, who drift into what we are accustomed to look upon as the learned profession in the same way that thousands of men in the lower walks of life drift into the ordinary bread-winning occupations. Having no special preference for any calling, and without feeling that they have any particular fitness for a certain profession, they find themselves drifting in that direction as a result of associations or environment, and in the course of time they find themselves shouldering responsibilities for which they have scant liking, carrying burdens which rest heavily upon them, and laboring in a field which has for them no attraction other than what it yields in the way of annual income. The prominent lawyer whose name heads this sketch impresses even those who meet him in a casual way as a man who has drifted easily and naturally into the legal profession, who realizes he has made no mistake in the choice of his vocation, and feels thoroughly at home in the position which he occupies. This first impression deepens with a more intimate acquaintance, and familiarity with his life leads to the unbiased and impartial view that the unusual success he has achieved is the logical sequence of talent rightly used, together with energy and industry never misapplied. Mr. Crumpacker is a native of the Hoosier State, born in LaPorte County May 27. 1851, and the son of Theophilus and Harriet (Emmons) Crumpacker, natives of Virginia, and of German origin. The great-grandfather, who was born in the old country, came to this country when a boy, and after stopping a short time in Maryland, went to Botetourt County, Virginia. Grandfather Crumpacker was in the Indian wars. The early members of this family were Dunkards in their religious belief, and several of them were ministers in that church, while others were Methodist ministers. A number of the ancestors on the mother's side were soldiers in the Revolutionary war. Owen Crumpacker, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was a sturdy old planter, and followed that occupation in his native State until 1832, when he came with his family to Indiana. After stopping two years in Union County he came to Porter County in 1834, and located about six miles north of Valparaiso, on a claim, and might have been called a "squatter." He wanted to locate near a spring, and although he found one in timber land where there was nothing but clay, he decided to locate there. He cleared a small spot, erected a little log cabin, and resided in this until 1837, when his land was sold at the land sale at LaPorte. It was so poor that he did not want it, and the same year moved to LaPorte County, Indiana, where he passed the remainder of his days, dying in 1854. The father of our subject was only about twelve years of age when he came with his parents to Porter County, and in the early schools of that county he merely learned to read and write, for he attended only about four months altogether. His youthful days were spent in hard labor on the pioneer homestead, and he has always tilled the soil. He is now living retired in the city of Valparaiso, and no man has done more for the upbuilding and improvement of the county than he. In the year 1872 he was elected to the Legislature, and re-elected in 1874 and 1876, thus showing his popularity. He has held several township offices, and has been a useful and prosperous farmer. Mr. Crumpacker has been a member of the city council. Although now in his seventy-first year, time has touched him lightly, and he is still vigorous and active, and enjoys good health. His wife, too, shows very little the wear and tear of years, and has good health. Of the eight children born to them, seven are now living: John W., banker of LaPorte; Edgar D.; Daniel W., in the railroad mail service on Grand Trunk Railroad; Eliza, died in September, 1880; Peter, a lawyer, at Hammond, Indiana; Nettie, wife of I. L. Luther, of Chicago; Charles E., teacher in Normal school at Humeston, Iowa, and Grant, studying law with Edgar D. The original of this notice passed his boyhood and youth in LaPorte and Porter Counties, and his early education was received in the district schools. Later he took an academic course in the Valparaiso Male and Female College, and in 1873 began the study of law with Talcott & Johnson of this city. He entered the law school at Bloomington, Indiana, in 1873, and the following year was admitted to the bar, beginning practice in 1876. He started out alone in his profession, and his ability in the legal field won for him a good practice. In 1877 he removed to Westville, Indiana, but only remained there two years, when he returned to Valparaiso, where he has since resided, engaged in the practice of law. In 1882 he was elected city attorney, and held that position four years. In 1884 he was elected prosecuting attorney for the thirty- first district, and in March, 1891, he was appointed Judge of Appellate Court by Governor Hovey, serving on the bench until January 1, 1893. He was nominated in the Republican Convention of 1892 for appellate judge, but was defeated with the balance of the State ticket. Judge Crumpacker was chairman of the county committee and also a member of the State Central Committee during the campaigns of 1888 and 1890. He has ever been interested in politics, and as a public official has made a record for uprightness and integrity. Socially, he is a member of the Masonic fraternity, chapter and commandery. On the 20th of April, 1879, he was married to Miss Charlotte A. Lucas, a native of Boone County, Illinois, and three sons have been born to this union: Owen, Fred and Maurice. The Judge and his wife are members of the Christian Church.
Source: Goodspeed Brothers. 1894. Pictorial and Biographical Record of La Porte, Porter, Lake and Starke Counties, Indiana. Chicago, Illinois: Goodspeed Brothers. 569 p.
Page(s) in Source: 109-111
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook