Governor Henry Howland Crapo

HENRY H. CRAPO, the fourteenth governor of Michigan, was born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts on May 24, 1804. His education was limited and attained in the common schools of his native state. However, he studied on his own, and became competent as a teacher. He also worked as a surveyor and eventually became the owner of a successful lumber and milling business in Flint, Michigan. Crapo entered politics in 1860, serving as the mayor of Flint, a position he held until 1861. He also served as a member of the Michigan State Senate from 1863 to 1864. Crapo won election to the governorship in 1864, and was reelected to a second term in 1866. During his tenure, the 13 th Amendment was promoted and sanctioned; twenty legislative bills that would have authorized municipal assistance to railroads were vetoed; and Radical Reconstruction was endorsed. After completing his term, Crapo left office on January 6, 1869, and retired from public service. Governor Henry H. Crapo passed away on July 22, 1869, and was buried in the Glenwood Cemetery in Flint, Michigan.