Henry Howland Crapo (1804-1869)
Mayor of Flint, State Senator & 14th Governor of Michigan
He was born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and began his career as a surveyor and civil engineer in New Bedford, working on various infrastructure projects in the 1820s and 30s. In 1858, he left his comfortable home (see images) in New Bedford for the wilds of Michigan, joining other similarly inclined adventurous investors. He settled in Flint, where he became involved in the lumber industry and land speculation during the state's rapid period of development. By the 1850s, he had become a lumber baron and one of the state's largest landowners. Entering politics, he became Mayor of Flint before being elected to the Michigan Legislature. In 1864, on the Republican ticket, he was elected the 14th Governor of Michigan, serving during the final year of the Civil War and into Reconstruction. As governor, he focused on post-war economic development, education, and improving infrastructure through promoting railroad expansion. He died in office. He and his wife, Mary Ann Slocum, were the parents of ten children (listed).
