Senator Robert Crozier

Robert Crozier (October 13, 1827 – October 2, 1895) was an American attorney, judge, banker, newspaper editor, and Republican politician from Kansas, most notable for his service as Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court from 1864 to 1867 and as a United States Senator from Kansas from 1873 to 1874. He also served a full term in the United States Senate from 1873 to 1875, during which he contributed to the legislative process in a period of significant national change following the Civil War and during Reconstruction.

Crozier was born in Cadiz, Harrison County, Ohio, on October 13, 1827, the son of John Thomas Crozier (1790–1867) and Jane Ann (Ginn) Crozier (1801–1839). He attended local public schools and pursued further studies at Cadiz Academy, receiving the classical and preparatory education typical of mid‑nineteenth‑century professional aspirants. After completing his schooling, he read law in the office of an attorney in Carrollton, Ohio, following the then-common practice of legal apprenticeship rather than formal law school training.

Admitted to the bar in 1848, Crozier commenced the practice of law in Carrollton. While residing there, he became editor of the Carroll Free Press, combining legal work with journalism and local public affairs. Originally active in politics as a member of the Whig Party, he served as prosecuting attorney of Carroll County from 1848 to 1850. During the 1850s he also sat on the Carroll County board of examiners, the body responsible for reviewing the qualifications of public school teachers and approving them for employment, reflecting his early involvement in educational oversight and local governance.

On March 7, 1857, Crozier moved west to Leavenworth, in what was then Kansas Territory, where he established the Leavenworth Daily Times newspaper and continued the practice of law. With the formation of the Republican Party in the mid‑1850s, he aligned himself with the new party and became one of its early adherents in Kansas. He served on the Kansas territorial council from 1857 to 1858, participating in the contentious political development of the territory in the years leading up to statehood. In 1861 President Abraham Lincoln appointed him United States attorney for the district of Kansas, a post he held until 1864, when he resigned. That same year he was appointed Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court, serving from 1864 to 1867. After leaving the bench, Crozier resumed private law practice in Leavenworth and became cashier and manager of the First National Bank of Leavenworth, marking the beginning of a long association with banking and finance.

On November 24, 1873, Crozier was appointed as a United States Senator from Kansas to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator Alexander Caldwell. A Republican, he served in the Senate during a significant period in American history, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his Kansas constituents during the later years of Reconstruction. He was not a candidate for election to the seat and served until February 12, 1874, when a successor was elected, completing what is recorded as a single term of service in Congress from 1873 to 1875. Following his brief tenure in the Senate, he returned to Leavenworth and resumed his legal and banking pursuits.

Crozier continued his judicial career at the state level when he was elected judge of the first judicial district of Kansas, a position he held from 1876 to 1892. In this capacity he presided over a wide range of civil and criminal matters during a period of rapid growth and development in Kansas. He also contributed to the preservation and interpretation of the state’s history as a member of the board of directors of the Kansas Historical Society from 1886 to 1889, reflecting his ongoing engagement with public and civic affairs beyond the courtroom and legislature.

In his personal life, Crozier married Margaret Atkinson (1824–1865) of Carrollton, Ohio, in August 1852. They were the parents of two children: William Crozier (1855–1942), who became a career officer in the United States Army, attained the rank of brigadier general, and served as the Army’s Chief of Ordnance from 1901 to 1917; and Margaretta (“Maggie”) Crozier (1863–1941), who married John Edgar Reyburn and was the mother of William Stuart Reyburn. After the death of his first wife, Crozier married Susan Eleanor Hunt (1838–1902) of Princeton, New Jersey, in October 1877, further cementing his family and social ties beyond Kansas and Ohio.

After retiring from the bench in 1892, Crozier continued to reside in Leavenworth, remaining a respected figure in the city where he had long practiced law, engaged in banking, and participated in public life. He died in Leavenworth on October 2, 1895. Robert Crozier was interred at Mount Muncie Cemetery in Lansing, Kansas, closing a career that had spanned local, territorial, state, and national service in law, politics, and public administration.