Louis C. Cramton Papers, circa 1865-1966 (majority within 1916-1965)

Summary

Creator:

Cramton, Louis C. (Louis Convers), 1875-

Abstract:

State Representative from Lapeer, Michigan; U.S. Congressman, 1913-1931, and special attorney to the Secretary of the Interior, 1931-1932; correspondence, speeches, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, photographs, campaign materials, and other items relating to his advocacy of the national park system, the concept of historic preservation, fair employment practices legislation, increased support for Howard University and all other aspects of his career.

Extent:

8 linear feet
2 oversize volumes
1 oversize folder

Language:

English.

Call Number:

851130 Aa 2 AC UAm

Authors:

Finding aid prepared by: William H. McNitt and Matthew T. Schaefer

Background

Scope and Content:

The Louis C. Cramton papers came to the Bentley Historical Library in three separate accessions (1948-1950; 1971; 1987). The collection has been arranged into six series: Correspondence, Miscellaneous Papers, Topical Files, Newspaper clippings/Scrapbooks, Photographs, and Louis Kay Cramton Papers.

Biographical / Historical:

Louis Convers Cramton was born in Hadley township, Lapeer County, Michigan, on December 2, 1875. He graduated from the University of Michigan Law Department in 1899, was admitted to the bar, and then began practice in Lapeer at that time. After short stints as a newspaper publisher and secretary to the Michigan Railroad Commission, Cramton embarked on a career of public political service that was both diverse and enduring. He served as a member of the State House of Representatives in 1909 and 1910; was a Republican member of Congress from 1913 to 1931; special attorney to the Secretary of the Interior in 1931 and 1932; circuit judge of Michigan's fortieth circuit court from 1934 through 1941; was elected to the State house of representatives again in 1948 and served until his retirement at the end of 1960. Throughout his public career, Cramton distinguished himself as able legislator, jurist, and lawyer. He was a staunch advocate of the maintenance of the National Park system and of historic preservation of landmarks and buildings. He also championed increased opportunity for the disadvantaged; witness Cramton's legislative efforts to improve the health, education, and industrial development of American Indians, his patronage of Howard University, and his work on the fair employment-practices law in Michigan. Cramton died in Saginaw, Michigan, June 23, 1966.

Acquisition Information:

The collection was the gift of Louis C. Cramton (donor no. 1677 ) and his son Louis K. Cramton (Donor no. 5121 ). The collection came in multiple accession, 1948-1950 and 1970-1971 and 1987.

Related

Additional Descriptive Data:

Selective Index of Correspondents

Albright, Horace M. (Horace Marden), 1890-1987.	1927-1933, June 24, 1958, Nov. 30, 1958, Feb. 6, 1959, Apr. 26, 1960, Aug. 10, 1960, Dec. 2, 1961, Feb. 22, 1962, Nov. 17, 1962, Aug. 15, 1964, June 23, 1966
American Civic Association.	Dec. 18 and 21, 1928, 1930, June 11, 1952, Apr. 9, 1953, June 29, 1955
American Indian Defense Association.	Mar. 30, 1926, Nov. 25, 1927, Dec. 13 and 20, 1927, Feb. 1928, Mar. 24, 1930, Jan. 23, 1931, Feb. 26, 1932
Anti-Saloon League of America.	Dec. 19, 1917, May 21, 1918, June 28, 1918, May 22, 1920, Dec. 15, 1923, Oct. 10, 1924, May 2 and 6, 1925, Oct. 12, 1925, Nov. 8, 1926, Mar. 23, 1927, June 4, 1927, July 6, 12 and 14, 1928, Jan. 28, 1929
Burke, Charles Henry, 1861-1944.	1925, 1926, 1928, 1929, Sept. 23, 1930
Cannon, James, 1864-1944.	1929
Catt, Carrie Chapman, 1859-1947.	Jan. 16, 1918
Cummins, Albert Baird, 1850-1926.	1913
Emergency Peace Federation (U.S.)	1917
Green, Fred Warren, 1872-1936.	1927, Feb. 21, 1930, Oct. 13, 1930
Hannah, John Alfred, 1902-	1955, May 17, 1956, Feb. 8, 1960
Hayden, Carl Trumbull, 1877-1972.	Oct. 30 and 31, 1925, Sept. 24, 1930, Mar. 28, 1953
Hoover, Herbert Clark, 1874-1964.	1929, Feb. 1, 1935
Indian Rights Association.	Mar. 20, 1926, Jan. 11, 1929, May 13, 1930, Jan. 27, 1931
Johnson, Hiram Warren, 1866-1945.	1920, Nov. 21, 1923, Dec. 15, 1923, Mar. 31, 1924, Aug. 8 and 9, 1930
Johnson, Mordecai Wyatt, 1890-	undated, Jan. 16, 1930, Oct. 9 and 17, 1930, May 11 and 26, 1931, Feb. 25, 1932, Feb. 17, 1954, May 31, 1955, July 1, 1955, Aug. 29, 1955, Feb. 21, 1958, Apr. 26, 1960, June 30, 1960, Nov. 25, 1960, Apr. 11, 1962, July 25, 1964, May 2, 14 and 20, 1965
Marsh, Pliny W., 1876-	Mar. 31, 1911, Apr. 7, 1911, July 7, 1919, 1924, May 26, 1949, 1951, Jan. 2, 1952, Apr. 16, 1960
Mather, Stephen Tyng, 1867-1930.	undated, July 8, 1925, Oct. 5, 1925, 1927-1929
Mellon, Andrew W. (Andrew William), 1855-1939.	May 15, 1924, Jan. 3, 1925, Feb. 6, 1925, Mar. 27, 1929, Apr. 17, 1929
Mitchell, William, 1879-1936.	Nov. 27, 1920, Dec. 1, 1920, Jan. 1925
Moore, Charles, 1855-1942.	1929, Sept. 19, 1930
National Security League.	Oct. 2, 1915, Mar. 16 and 18, 1916
Phelps, William Lyon, 1865-1943.	1930, Jan. 19 and 27, 1931
Pinchot, Amos Richards Eno, 1873-1944.	Feb. 13 and 15, 1917
Pinchot, Gifford, 1865-1946	Aug. 8 and 9, 1928, June 6, 1940
Sigler, Kim, b. 1894.	June 7, 1945, Mar. 7, 1946, Apr. 19, 1946, June 28, 1946, Sept. 23, 1948, Mar. 23, 1949, Oct. 21, 1949, Jan. 22, 1951, Feb. 11, 1951, May 14, 1951
Stone, Irving, 1903-	Sept. 11, 1944, Oct. 6, 1944
Sullivan, Mark, 1874-1952.	May 19 and 20, 1920
Vandenberg, Arthur H. (Arthur Hendrick), 1884-1951.	Mar. 23, 1920, Apr. 3, 1930, Dec. 4 and 6, 1930, 1931, Nov. 27, 1937, May 31, 1939, June 15 and 18, 1940, July 8, 1940, Jan. 23 and 26, 1943
West, Roy Owen, 1868-1958.	1928, 1929, Sept. 21, 1930
Wheeler, Wayne Bidwell, 1869-1927.	June 28, 1918, May 22, 1920, Oct. 10, 1924, May 2 and 6, 1925, Oct. 12, 1925, Nov. 8, 1926, Mar. 23, 1927, June 4, 1927
Wilbur, Ray Lyman, 1875-1949.	1929-1933, July 20, 1935
Williams, G. Mennen, 1911-	undated, June 8, 1949, Apr. 21, 1954, Nov. 6, 1954, June 16, 1955, Nov. 11, 1958, Apr. 19, 1960, Dec. 31, 1960
Wirth, Conrad Louis, 1899-	Dec. 19, 1951, Oct- 13, 1954, July 9, 1956, 1957, Feb. 5, 1958, June 24, 1958, Dec. 2, 1959, May 16, 1960, Nov 21, 1962
Work, Hubert, 1860-1942.	1924, 1925, 1927, 1928

Selective Subject Index

Debs, Eugene Victor, 1855-1926	See letter to Irving Stone, September 11, 1944
Henry Ford Peace Expedition (1915-1916)	See letter dated December 1, 1915
Indians of North America	See correspondence with American Indian Defense Association and the Indian Rights Association, especially during the 1920s and 1930s
Isle Royale National Park	See correspondence, Feb. 1930 and Feb. 1931
Navy League of the United States	See correspondence, 1915-1916
People's Lobby	See letters of Feb. and April 1930
Temperance	See correspondence with the Anti-Saloon League of America and with Wayne B. Wheeler.

Subjects

Click on terms below to find any related finding aids on this site.

Subjects:

Conservation of natural resources -- United States.
Discrimination in employment -- United States.
Elections -- Michigan -- 1920.
Elections -- Michigan -- 1940.
Historic buildings -- United States.
Immigrants -- United States.
Indians of North America.
Presidents -- United States -- Election -- 1940.
Public lands -- United States.
Temperance -- United States.
Women -- Suffrage -- United States.
World War, 1914-1918.
Baseball.
Buildings -- Michigan -- Kingston.
Buildings -- Michigan -- Lapeer.
Buildings -- Michigan -- West Branch.
Conservation of natural resources -- United States.
Courthouses.
Hotels and taverns.
Lumber industry.
National parks and reserves.
Offices.

Formats:

Photographs.
Scrapbooks.

Names:

Henry Ford Peace Expedition (1915-1916)
Howard University.
Indian Rights Association.
Michigan. Fair Employment Practices Commission.
Michigan. Legislature.
Navy League of the United States.
People's Lobby.
Republican Party (Mich.)
United States. Congress -- Elections, 1920.
United States. Congress. House.
United States. Dept. of the Interior.
United States. National Park Service.
Knights of Pythias -- Michigan -- Lapeer.
American Civic Association.
American Indian Defense Association.
Anti-Saloon League of America.
Emergency Peace Federation (U.S.)
National Security League.
Cramton, Louis C. (Louis Convers), 1875-
Debs, Eugene V. (Eugene Victor), 1855-1926.
Albright, Horace M. (Horace Marden), 1890-1987.
Burke, Charles Henry, 1861-1944.
Cannon, James, 1864-1944.
Catt, Carrie Chapman, 1859-1947.
Cramton, Louis Kay.
Cummins, Albert Baird, 1850-1926.
Green, Fred W. (Fred Warren), 1872-1936.
Hannah, John A., 1902-1991.
Hayden, Carl Trumbull, 1877-1972.
Hoover, Herbert, 1874-1964.
Johnson, Hiram, 1866-1945.
Johnson, Mordecai W. (Mordecai Wyatt), 1890-1976.
Marsh, Pliny W., 1876-
Mather, Stephen Tyng, 1867-1930.
Mellon, Andrew W. (Andrew William), 1855-1939.
Mitchell, William, 1879-1936.
Moore, Charles, 1855-1942.
Phelps, William Lyon, 1865-1943.
Pinchot, Amos Richards Eno, 1873-1944.
Pinchot, Gifford, 1865-1946.
Sigler, Kim, 1894-
Stone, Irving, 1903-1989.
Sullivan, Mark, 1874-1952.
Vandenberg, Arthur H. (Arthur Hendrick), 1884-1951.
West, Roy Owen, 1868-1958.
Wheeler, Wayne Bidwell, 1869-1927.
Wilbur, Ray L. (Ray Lyman), 1875-1949.
Williams, G. Mennen, 1911-1988.
Wirth, Conrad Louis, 1899-1993.
Work, Hubert, 1860-1942.

Places:

United States -- Emigration and immigration.
Isle Royale National Park (Mich.)
Lapeer (Mich.)
Michigan -- Politics and government -- 1899-1916.
Michigan -- Politics and government -- 1917-1921.
Michigan -- Politics and government -- 1922-1928.
Michigan -- Politics and government -- 1929-1938.
Michigan -- Politics and government -- 1939-1945.
Michigan -- Politics and government -- 1946-1960.
United States -- Politics and government -- 1901-1953.
United States -- Politics and government -- 1953-1961.
Kingston (Mich.) -- Buildings.
Lapeer (Mich.)
Lapeer (Mich.) -- Buildings.
Upper Peninsula (Mich.)
West Branch (Mich.) -- Buildings.