Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/43

 CRANE

CRANSTON

an ample fortune of which he gave liberal amounts for private charity, and for the good of the public, having made large contribu- tions toward building the Congregational church, parsonage, town hall, and Irving house in his native town. He was a delegate-at-large to the Republican national conventions at Minneapolis in 1892 and at St. Louis in 1896. He was lieuten- ant-governor of Massachusetts, 1897-99, and in 1899 and 1901 was elected governor. Williams college gave liim tlie degree of A.M. in 1897, and Harvard tliat of LL.D. in 1903.

CRANE, Zenas, manufacturer, was born at Canton, Mass., May 9, 1777; son of Stephen and Susannah (Babcock) Crane; grandson of Benja- min and Abigail (Houghton) Crane; great-grand- son of Stephen and Mary (Denison) Crane; and ^reat^ grandson of Henry Crane, who came from England to Dorchester, Mass., in 1648 or 1649. He was educated at the district schools and learned the rudiments of the paper business at his brother's mill in Newton, completing his knowledge in General Burbank's mill at Worces- ter. In 1799 he decided to establish a mill of his own and selected Dalton in the Berkshire hills as the most suitable location, chiefly on account of its inexhaustible supply of the purest washing water. His paper mill, the first to be con- structed west of the Connecticut river, was finished in 1801, and was called the " Old Berk- shire." This was the nucleus about which the great Crane mills gradually formed. Mr. Crane conducted this until 1807, when he sold his inter- est to a partner and entered mercantile business. In 1809 he was married to Lucinda, daughter of Gains and Lucretia (Babcock) Brewer of Wilbra- ham, Mass. In 1810 he bought an interest in the new mill, subsequently known as the " Old Red Mill," and became superintendent and chief manager. In 1822 he became.sole proprietor. He conducted the mill with success until 1842 when he transferred his interest to his eldest sons, Zenas Marshall and James Brewer Crane, already his partners. In politics he was first a Federalist and later a Whig, and was several times chosen to the state legislature, beginning in 1811. In 1836-37 he served in Governor Everett's coun- cil. He died at Dalton, Mass., June 29, 1845.

CRANSTON, Earl, M.E. bishop, was born at Athens, Ohio, June 27, 1840. He descended pa- ternally from Gov. John Cranston (1626-1680), and maternally from James Montgomerj-, an early immigrant to Ohio from Ireland. He received his preparatory education from his stepfather, J. W. Longborn of Jackson, Ohio, and in 1861 was graduated from Ohio university. In the same year he enlisted in the Union army and was appointed 1st sergeant and then 1st lieuten- ant of Company C, 3d Ohio volunteer infantry.

He was subsequently commissioned adjutant of the 1st battalion, 2d West Virginia cavalry, and finally captain of the 60th Ohio volunteers. He served until June, 1863, leaving the service on account of broken health. He began the study of the law but in 1867 entered the ministry, unit- ing with the Ohio con- ference of the M.E. church. He served charges in Marietta, Portsmouth, Colum- bus, and Cincinnati, Ohio ; Jacksonville, 111. ; Evansville, Ind. ; and Denver, Col. ; and was for four years presiding elder in the Rocky Mountain country. He was one of the founders and promoters of the Den- ^ ^ /^) -y^

ver university; was ^^^^^^^^i^^MA^M-fryO ' elected a manager of the Western Methodist book concern in 1884, 1888 and 1892 ; became treasurer and member of the managing board of the Freed- men's aid and southern education society, and treasurer of the M.E. church (at large). He was a trustee of the Ohio university from 1888, re- ceived the degree of A.M. from that institution in 1866, and that of D.D. from Allegheny college. Pa., and Cornell college, Iowa, in 1881. In 1896 he was elected and consecrated as bishop of the Methodist Episcopal church and was stationed at Portland, Ore.

CRANSTON, Henry Young, representative, was born in Newport, R.I., Oct. 9, 1789; son of Peleg and Elizabeth Cranston, brother of Robert Bennie Cranston and a direct descendant of Gov. Samuel Cranston. He engaged in business in New Bedford, Mass., and in Newport, R.I., 1810- 15, was admitted to the bar in 1819, was clerk of the court of common pleas, 1818- 33, and a member and vice-president of the convention that framed the state con- stitution, presiding over the greater part of the delibera- tions of that body. He was a representa- tive in the state legis- lature, 1827-43, and 1847-54, frequently serving as speaker. He was also a representative in the 28th and 29th U.S. congresses, 1843-47. He was married, Jul}'