Fred L. Crawford

Who was Fred L. Crawford?

Fred Lewis Crawford was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.

Crawford was born in Dublin, Texas and attended local public schools. He went to business college at Peniel, and attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He engaged in accountancy at Des Moines, Iowa, and Detroit, Michigan, 1914-1917. He built, financed, and operated beet sugar mills in various sections of the United States, 1917-1935. He also engaged in manufacturing, ranching, and overland transportation. He was director of the Michigan National Bank and the Refiners Transport & Petroleum Corporation of Detroit at time of his death.

In 1934, Crawford was elected as a Republican from Michigan's 8th congressional district to the United States House of Representatives, defeating incumbent Democrat Michael J. Hart. Crawford served in the 74th Congress and the eight succeeding Congresses, from January 3, 1935 to January 3, 1953. In 1952, he was defeated in the Republican primary election by Alvin M. Bentley, who went on to win the general election.