E. H. Crump
Encyclopedia
Edward Hull "Boss" Crump (October 2, 1874 – October 16, 1954) was an American
politician from Memphis, Tennessee
. He was mayor
from 1910 through 1915, and again briefly in 1940; in the intervening years he effectively appointed the mayors.
, Crump moved to Memphis in 1892 and became a successful businessman, and began to make the political connections that served him for the rest of his life. He was a delegate to the Tennessee Democratic
State Convention in 1902 and 1904. In 1905, he was named to the municipal Board of Public Works, and was appointed Commissioner of Fire and Police in 1907.
Starting in the 1910s, Crump began to build a political machine
which came to have statewide influence. He was particularly adept in his use of what were at the time two politically weak minority groups in Tennessee
: blacks and Republicans
. Unlike most Southern
Democrats of his era, Crump was not opposed to blacks voting as Memphis blacks were reliable Crump machine voters for the most part. A symbiotic relationship developed in which blacks aided Crump and Crump aided them. Crump also skillfully manipulated Republicans, who were numerically very weak in the western two-thirds of the state but dominated politics in East Tennessee
. Frequently, they found it necessary to ally themselves with Crump in order to accomplish any of their goals and, often, they did.
Crump was very influential for nearly half a century. He usually preferred to work behind the scenes and served only 3 two-year terms as mayor of Memphis (1910–1915) at the beginning of his career. He essentially named the next several mayors. His rise to prominence disturbed many of the state political leaders in Nashville
; the "Ouster Law", designed to remove officials who refused to enforce state laws, was passed primarily with Crump and his lax enforcement of state Prohibition
in mind. He was county treasurer of Shelby County
from 1917 to 1923. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention
seven times.
Crump became involved in earnest in state politics during the 1928 gubernatorial election when Henry Horton was seeking election in his own right; Horton had been appointed governor when Austin Peay
died. Crump supported Hill McAlister
in the Democratic primary while the Nashville machine of Luke Lea
supported Governor Horton. Horton won the primary despite the lopsided McAlister vote in Shelby County. When Horton ran for re-election in 1930, Crump and Lea cut a deal and Crump swung his formidable political machine behind Horton. Horton defeated independent Democrat L. E. Gwinn
in the primary and Republican C. Arthur Bruce in the general election.
After years of working behind the scenes, Crump decided to run for U.S. Representative
in 1930. He was easily elected to the Tenth District, which was then co-extensive with Shelby County (it became the Ninth
in 1932). He served two terms: from March 4, 1931 to January 3, 1935. (The Twentieth Amendment
was enacted in 1933, shifting the starting date of Congressional terms.) During this time, he was also a regent of the Smithsonian Institution
. He remained hugely influential in Memphis as well, staying in constant communication with his operatives there and visiting during all Congressional recesses.
In 1936 Crump was named to the Democratic National Committee
, serving on that body until 1945. In 1939 he was elected a final time as mayor, although that term was actually served by Walter Chandler
. Chandler was US Representative for the Ninth District, and Crump thought that Chandler's time was better spent tending to congressional matters in Washington than campaigning for mayor in Memphis. So, without a platform, without a speech, and without opposition, Crump was elected mayor of Memphis.
Crump was sworn in at a few minutes past midnight on January 1, 1940, in a snow storm on the platform of the railroad station, just before leaving for New Orleans to see the Sugar Bowl
. In high humor, he resigned immediately. Vice Mayor Joseph Boyle became Mayor till the next day, when the faithful City Commission met and elected Chandler. Watkins Overton's term had ended at midnight, and thus Memphis had four mayors in less than 24 h.
His statewide influence began to wane in the late 1940s. Two powerful opponents were elected to office in 1948. Gordon Browning
, a one-time protege whom Crump had helped elect governor in 1936, was elected governor again, now over Crump's opposition, while
Estes Kefauver
was elected to the United States Senate
. For the rest of his life, Crump's influence was limited to Memphis. In 1952, his longtime associate, Sen. Kenneth McKellar
was defeated in the Democratic primary by Albert Gore, Sr.
. The days of Crump's massive influence over Tennessee politics were almost over; his death came less than two years later. A final triumph for Crump was the victory of his chosen candidate, Frank G. Clement
, over Browning for governor, also in 1952. Crump was interred at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis.
Crump's marks on Memphis can be seen even today. Crump was a strong supporter of fire service and for many years the Memphis Fire Department was considered one of the very best in the country, and is still quite well regarded. He felt separate operations for each municipal utility were inherently inefficient; today, Memphis Light, Gas and Water
is one of the largest combined municipal utilities in the United States.
He believed that cities should not be too noisy; Memphis has strong noise ordinances that are more aggressively enforced than those of many other jurisidictions. He was one of the early supporters of automobile safety inspections; all of Memphis-registered vehicles are inspected annually (twice a year until the 1990s). The city's Crump Stadium
and Crump Boulevard are named after him as well. Although many of these projects and innovations are said to have benefited Crump personally in one way or another, it is inarguable that they have benefited the city of Memphis greatly as well.
Crump's association with Georgia Tann
suggests a less flattering view of his legacy. Tann enjoyed Crump's powerful protection in Memphis as she illegally placed babies in adoptive homes; often these babies were stolen. Tann's legacy—and by extension, Crump's—lives on today, in that 32 states (as of January 2007) still have sealed birth certificates for adoptees.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician from Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. He was mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
from 1910 through 1915, and again briefly in 1940; in the intervening years he effectively appointed the mayors.
Career
A native of Holly Springs, MississippiHolly Springs, Mississippi
Holly Springs is a city in Marshall County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,957 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marshall County. A short drive from Memphis, Tennessee, Holly Springs is the site of a number of well-preserved antebellum homes and other structures and...
, Crump moved to Memphis in 1892 and became a successful businessman, and began to make the political connections that served him for the rest of his life. He was a delegate to the Tennessee Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
State Convention in 1902 and 1904. In 1905, he was named to the municipal Board of Public Works, and was appointed Commissioner of Fire and Police in 1907.
Starting in the 1910s, Crump began to build a political machine
Political machine
A political machine is a political organization in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a corps of supporters and businesses , who receive rewards for their efforts...
which came to have statewide influence. He was particularly adept in his use of what were at the time two politically weak minority groups in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
: blacks and Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. Unlike most Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
Democrats of his era, Crump was not opposed to blacks voting as Memphis blacks were reliable Crump machine voters for the most part. A symbiotic relationship developed in which blacks aided Crump and Crump aided them. Crump also skillfully manipulated Republicans, who were numerically very weak in the western two-thirds of the state but dominated politics in East Tennessee
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
. Frequently, they found it necessary to ally themselves with Crump in order to accomplish any of their goals and, often, they did.
Crump was very influential for nearly half a century. He usually preferred to work behind the scenes and served only 3 two-year terms as mayor of Memphis (1910–1915) at the beginning of his career. He essentially named the next several mayors. His rise to prominence disturbed many of the state political leaders in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
; the "Ouster Law", designed to remove officials who refused to enforce state laws, was passed primarily with Crump and his lax enforcement of state Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
in mind. He was county treasurer of Shelby County
Shelby County, Tennessee
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the state's largest both in terms of population and geographic area, with a population of 927,644 at the 2010 census...
from 1917 to 1923. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
seven times.
Crump became involved in earnest in state politics during the 1928 gubernatorial election when Henry Horton was seeking election in his own right; Horton had been appointed governor when Austin Peay
Austin Peay
Austin Peay was Governor of Tennessee from 1923 until his death in 1927.-Biography:Peay, a native of Kentucky, moved to Clarksville, Tennessee and opened a law practice in 1896. He was first elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1901 and re-elected in 1903...
died. Crump supported Hill McAlister
Hill McAlister
Harry Hill McAlister was Governor of Tennessee from 1933 to 1937.-Biography:Hill McAlister was born in Nashville to a family kin to at least two former governors of Tennessee and the former governor of the predecessor Southwest Territory, William Blount...
in the Democratic primary while the Nashville machine of Luke Lea
Luke Lea
Luke Lea may refer to:* Luke Lea , U.S. Representative from Tennessee, 1833–1837* Luke Lea , U.S. Senator from Tennessee, 1911–1917; founder of The Tennessean newspaper* Luke Lea, Commissioner of Indian Affairs 1850-1853...
supported Governor Horton. Horton won the primary despite the lopsided McAlister vote in Shelby County. When Horton ran for re-election in 1930, Crump and Lea cut a deal and Crump swung his formidable political machine behind Horton. Horton defeated independent Democrat L. E. Gwinn
Lambert Estes Gwinn
Lambert Estes Gwinn was a Tennessee educator, politician, and attorney. He served as a state senator and ran for governor in the Democratic primaries in 1922 and 1930...
in the primary and Republican C. Arthur Bruce in the general election.
After years of working behind the scenes, Crump decided to run for U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 1930. He was easily elected to the Tenth District, which was then co-extensive with Shelby County (it became the Ninth
Tennessee's 9th congressional district
The 9th Congressional District of Tennessee is a Congressional district in southwestern Tennessee. The district is located entirely within Shelby County, and includes most of the city of Memphis...
in 1932). He served two terms: from March 4, 1931 to January 3, 1935. (The Twentieth Amendment
Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution establishes the beginning and ending of the terms of the elected federal offices. It also deals with scenarios in which there is no President-elect...
was enacted in 1933, shifting the starting date of Congressional terms.) During this time, he was also a regent of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
. He remained hugely influential in Memphis as well, staying in constant communication with his operatives there and visiting during all Congressional recesses.
In 1936 Crump was named to the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
, serving on that body until 1945. In 1939 he was elected a final time as mayor, although that term was actually served by Walter Chandler
Walter Chandler
Walter "Clift" Chandler was an American politician from Tennessee.Walter Chandler was born in Memphis in 1887 to parents of Scots/English descent. He attended public schools before going on to earn his law degree at the University of Tennessee...
. Chandler was US Representative for the Ninth District, and Crump thought that Chandler's time was better spent tending to congressional matters in Washington than campaigning for mayor in Memphis. So, without a platform, without a speech, and without opposition, Crump was elected mayor of Memphis.
Crump was sworn in at a few minutes past midnight on January 1, 1940, in a snow storm on the platform of the railroad station, just before leaving for New Orleans to see the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
. In high humor, he resigned immediately. Vice Mayor Joseph Boyle became Mayor till the next day, when the faithful City Commission met and elected Chandler. Watkins Overton's term had ended at midnight, and thus Memphis had four mayors in less than 24 h.
His statewide influence began to wane in the late 1940s. Two powerful opponents were elected to office in 1948. Gordon Browning
Gordon Browning
Gordon Weaver Browning was an American politician who represented Tennessee in the United States Congress and was later Governor of Tennessee from 1937 to 1939 and again from 1949 to 1953.-Biography:...
, a one-time protege whom Crump had helped elect governor in 1936, was elected governor again, now over Crump's opposition, while
Estes Kefauver
Estes Kefauver
Carey Estes Kefauver July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S...
was elected to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. For the rest of his life, Crump's influence was limited to Memphis. In 1952, his longtime associate, Sen. Kenneth McKellar
Kenneth McKellar
Kenneth Douglas McKellar was an American politician from Tennessee who served as a United States Representative from 1911 until 1917 and as a United States Senator from 1917 until 1953...
was defeated in the Democratic primary by Albert Gore, Sr.
Albert Gore, Sr.
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Sr. was an American politician, serving as a U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator for the Democratic Party from Tennessee....
. The days of Crump's massive influence over Tennessee politics were almost over; his death came less than two years later. A final triumph for Crump was the victory of his chosen candidate, Frank G. Clement
Frank G. Clement
Frank Goad Clement served as Governor of Tennessee from 1953 to 1959, and again from 1963 to 1967.-Early life:...
, over Browning for governor, also in 1952. Crump was interred at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis.
Legacy
Memphis Light, Gas and Water
The Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division is the largest three-service municipal utility in the U.S. with more than 420,000 customers. Since 1939, MLGW has provided electricity, natural gas and water service for Memphis, Tennessee and Shelby County residents.MLGW is supplied with electricity by...
is one of the largest combined municipal utilities in the United States.
He believed that cities should not be too noisy; Memphis has strong noise ordinances that are more aggressively enforced than those of many other jurisidictions. He was one of the early supporters of automobile safety inspections; all of Memphis-registered vehicles are inspected annually (twice a year until the 1990s). The city's Crump Stadium
Crump Stadium
Crump Stadium was a sports stadium in Memphis, Tennessee, built in 1934 and largely demolished in 2006. It was built as a WPA project with a capacity of 7,500. In 1939 it was enlarged to hold 25,000 spectators. In 1948 and 1949 it staged the NCAA football Delta Bowl; in 1950 the college football...
and Crump Boulevard are named after him as well. Although many of these projects and innovations are said to have benefited Crump personally in one way or another, it is inarguable that they have benefited the city of Memphis greatly as well.
Crump's association with Georgia Tann
Georgia Tann
Georgia Tann, born Beulah George Tann , operated the Tennessee Children's Home Society, an adoption agency in Memphis, Tennessee. Tann used the unlicensed home as a front for her black market baby adoption scheme from the 1920s until a state investigation closed the institution in 1950...
suggests a less flattering view of his legacy. Tann enjoyed Crump's powerful protection in Memphis as she illegally placed babies in adoptive homes; often these babies were stolen. Tann's legacy—and by extension, Crump's—lives on today, in that 32 states (as of January 2007) still have sealed birth certificates for adoptees.
Further reading
- Miller, William D. (1964) Mr. Crump of Memphis Southern biography series. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press.
- Dowdy, G. Wayne. (2006) Mayor Crump Don't Like It: Machine Politics in Memphis Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi.
- Biles, Roger. (1986) Memphis In The Great Depression Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press.