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Walter
J. Crawford,
lawyer, son of
J. S. and Lou
(Eddins)
Crawford, was
born in Mount
Vernon, Texas,
on February
25, 1873. He
moved to
Austin as a
child and
graduated from
the University
of Texas in
1894. He
received his
law degree
three years
later, then
moved to
Beaumont and
established a
successful law
practice.
Among his
partners was
Stuart R.
Smith.qv
Crawford
married Cora
Shults in
1901, and they
had two
children.
Although never
a candidate
for public
office,
Crawford
became an
active booster
of both
Beaumont and
the Democratic
party. As a
civic leader
he served as
director of
the local
chamber of
commerce and
of the Gulf
National Bank
of Beaumont.
He was also a
Mason and a
Methodist. As
a major
stockholder of
the Beaumont Enterprise,qv
Crawford
convinced his
friend William
P. Hobbyqv
to leave a
position with
the Houston
Postqv
to become
editor,
manager, and
half-owner of
the paper in
1907. Crawford
also served as
Hobby's
campaign
manager during
his successful
race for
lieutenant
governor in
1914 and gave
the nominating
speech before
Hobby's second
term two years
later. He died
in Jefferson
County of a
stroke on
February 19,
1924.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Frank W.
Johnson, A
History of
Texas and
Texans
(5 vols., ed.
E. C. Barker
and E. W.
Winkler
[Chicago and
New York:
American
Historical
Society, 1914;
rpt. 1916]).
Robert
Wooster
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