Stephen Crane

Who was Stephen Crane?

Stephen Crane was an American politician from Elizabethtown who was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1776. He also served in the Provincial Congress of New Jersey, New Jersey General Assembly and New Jersey Legislative Council. Crane was part of the Congressional delegation that opposed separation from Great Britain which caused the state’s provincial congress to replace their entire delegation in June 1776.

Crane was born in Elizabethtown. He served as sheriff of Essex County and was elected as a member of its town committee in 1750. He was also a judge of the court of common pleas. From 1766 to 1773, he was a member of the colony's general assembly 1766-1773 and served as speaker in 1771. He was also mayor of Elizabethtown before he became a member of the Continental Congress. Until his death in 1780, Crane held several public offices in New Jersey.

Crane was bayoneted by British troops passing through Elizabethtown on their way to Springfield on June 23, 1780, and died of his wounds on July 1, 1780.