William W. Crapo


William Wallace Crapo was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts. He was elected to fill the vacancy caused by the death of James Buffinton. He served slightly more than three terms in congress from November 2, 1875 to March 3, 1883
Born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, died in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Crapo is interred in the Rural Cemetery. He was a prominent attorney in New Bedford. Among his clients was Hetty Green.
William Wallace Crapo was a brother of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity in his undergraduate years at Yale University. He graduated in 1852 and was a member of Skull and Bones. On April 15, 1851, Crapo visited Brown University, on which date he is credited with initiating 17 members of the provisional chapter there, re-activating the ten-years-dormant Brunonian Chapter.
In 1903, Crapo was a founding member and first president of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society, governing body of the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Personal Life

Crapo was the son of Governor of Michigan Henry H. Crapo, who also served as the mayor of Flint, Michigan and in the Michigan State Senate. His mother, Mary Ann Crapo, was a descendant of William Hutchinson and his wife Anne Hutchinson, daughter of Francis Marbury. His second cousin, three times removed is Mike Crapo, who served as a United States Representative from Idaho 1993-1999 and has served as a United States Senator from Idaho since 1999. His nephew was William C. Durant, co-founder of General Motors.
Crapo married Sarah Ann Davis Tappan on January 20, 1857 in New Bedford. They had four children: