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| From Wikimedia Commons |
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| W. D. Crum From An era of progress and promise |
William Demosthenes Crum (b. February 9, 1859, d. December 7, 1912)
South Carolina. Born free. Mulatto.
Occupation: collector of customs, consul general, physician
Father's occupation: farmer
William was born in South Carolina to Darius and Charlotte C. Crum. Charlotte was a free person of color, and Darius was the son of a (white) German immigrant. Darius ran a plantation in Orangeburg. In 1850, he owned 350 acres, and his plantation had an estimated value of $1000 (roughly the equivalent of $55,000 in 2019). There were 11 enslaved people working on the plantation, and by the time the Civil War broke out in 1861, this number had grown to roughly 40. During the war, Darius died, and the family's finances were ruined. With the help of his older brothers, William attended the Avery Normal Institute in Charleston. He graduated in 1875.
William first appears in University of South Carolina records in the January 1876 university catalogue. He described as a freshman from Charleston following the modern studies track. The university closed before he completed his degree.
After the 1877 closure of the University of South Carolina, William moved to Washington D.C. and began attending the Medical Department at Howard University. He graduated in the class of 1880.
William returned to Charleston after receiving his degree and worked as a physician. He was a prominent figure within the city. He served as a trustee for the Avery Normal Institute and was active in Republican politics, regularly serving as a delegate to the Republican National Convention and acting as party chairman in Charleston County for 12 years. He was friends with many politically prominent African Americans including Booker T. Washington, former Mississippi Governor P. B. S. Pinchback and former U of SC student Whitfield McKinlay.
Politically William held moderate positions on African American rights. For example, in 1903 the Boston Guardian quoted him as saying, "Social equality is something the white man need not fear. All we ask is the God-given right to earn an honest living, and the privilege of enjoying the fruits thereof, unmolested by the lyncher with his shotgun and rope."
In 1892, William was appointed postmaster of Charleston by President Benjamin Harrison. However, this appointment was strongly opposed by white Charlestonians and the appointment was withdrawn.
William was again considered for a federal appointment in 1902. At the recommendation of Booker T. Washington, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed William as Collector of the Port at Charleston. This decision was controversial and strongly opposed by the white press in Charleston. In January 1903 when William's appointment was sent to the U. S. Senate for approval, a delegation of whites from Charleston traveled to D.C. to deliver a protest, arguing before the Senate that, for example, William "is a colored man, and that in itself ought to bar him from office." The Senate declined to act on Roosevelt's appointment, so William was appointed on interim basis (an action the President could take without Senate approval).
Due to continued Senate opposition, William served in an interim capacity from 1903 to 1905. William served with discretion. For example, he allowed whites who did not want to deal with African American officials to work with a white deputy collector.
William's appointment was finally approved by senate in 1905. He continued to hold the position until 1908. That year William Howard Taft won the presidential election, and he and outgoing President Roosevelt agreed not to reappoint William to avoid controversy. William relinquished his position in March of 1909.
The next year (in 1910) William was appointed U. S. Minister Resident/Consul General (a diplomatic position) to Liberia by President Taft at the suggestion of Booker T. Washington. This was a political compromise. The appointment was noncontroversial as the position was traditionally held by African Americans. (Earlier it had been held by former U of SC students Owen Smith and William H. Heard.) In Liberia, he advocated for increasing trade with the U.S. and helped negotiate a border dispute with England.
In 1912, while in Liberia, William fell ill with "African fever." He was granted a leave of absence and returned to Charleston where he died in December 1912. He is buried in the Friendly Union Society Cemetery.
Sources
1). Gatewood, Willard B. "William D. Crum: A Negro in Politics." The Journal of Negro History 53, no. 4 (1968): 301-20.
2). Padgett, James A. "Ministers to Liberia and Their Diplomacy." The Journal of Negro History 22, no. 1 (1937): 50-92. Accessed April 9, 2020. doi:10.2307/2714318.
3). Tindall, George B. South Carolina Negroes 1877-1900. Columbia, University of South Carolina Press. 2003.
4). 1880; Census Place: Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina; Roll: 1222; Page: 420D
5). 1900; Census Place: Charleston Ward 8, Charleston, South Carolina; Page: 10
6). 1910; Census Place: Charleston Ward 8, Charleston, South Carolina; Roll: T624_1452; Page: 9A;
7). Seventh Census Of The United States, 1850; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29.
William first appears in University of South Carolina records in the January 1876 university catalogue. He described as a freshman from Charleston following the modern studies track. The university closed before he completed his degree.
After the 1877 closure of the University of South Carolina, William moved to Washington D.C. and began attending the Medical Department at Howard University. He graduated in the class of 1880.
William returned to Charleston after receiving his degree and worked as a physician. He was a prominent figure within the city. He served as a trustee for the Avery Normal Institute and was active in Republican politics, regularly serving as a delegate to the Republican National Convention and acting as party chairman in Charleston County for 12 years. He was friends with many politically prominent African Americans including Booker T. Washington, former Mississippi Governor P. B. S. Pinchback and former U of SC student Whitfield McKinlay.
Politically William held moderate positions on African American rights. For example, in 1903 the Boston Guardian quoted him as saying, "Social equality is something the white man need not fear. All we ask is the God-given right to earn an honest living, and the privilege of enjoying the fruits thereof, unmolested by the lyncher with his shotgun and rope."
In 1892, William was appointed postmaster of Charleston by President Benjamin Harrison. However, this appointment was strongly opposed by white Charlestonians and the appointment was withdrawn.
William was again considered for a federal appointment in 1902. At the recommendation of Booker T. Washington, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed William as Collector of the Port at Charleston. This decision was controversial and strongly opposed by the white press in Charleston. In January 1903 when William's appointment was sent to the U. S. Senate for approval, a delegation of whites from Charleston traveled to D.C. to deliver a protest, arguing before the Senate that, for example, William "is a colored man, and that in itself ought to bar him from office." The Senate declined to act on Roosevelt's appointment, so William was appointed on interim basis (an action the President could take without Senate approval).
Due to continued Senate opposition, William served in an interim capacity from 1903 to 1905. William served with discretion. For example, he allowed whites who did not want to deal with African American officials to work with a white deputy collector.
William's appointment was finally approved by senate in 1905. He continued to hold the position until 1908. That year William Howard Taft won the presidential election, and he and outgoing President Roosevelt agreed not to reappoint William to avoid controversy. William relinquished his position in March of 1909.
The next year (in 1910) William was appointed U. S. Minister Resident/Consul General (a diplomatic position) to Liberia by President Taft at the suggestion of Booker T. Washington. This was a political compromise. The appointment was noncontroversial as the position was traditionally held by African Americans. (Earlier it had been held by former U of SC students Owen Smith and William H. Heard.) In Liberia, he advocated for increasing trade with the U.S. and helped negotiate a border dispute with England.
In 1912, while in Liberia, William fell ill with "African fever." He was granted a leave of absence and returned to Charleston where he died in December 1912. He is buried in the Friendly Union Society Cemetery.
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| W. D. Crum From Library of Congress |
Sources
1). Gatewood, Willard B. "William D. Crum: A Negro in Politics." The Journal of Negro History 53, no. 4 (1968): 301-20.
2). Padgett, James A. "Ministers to Liberia and Their Diplomacy." The Journal of Negro History 22, no. 1 (1937): 50-92. Accessed April 9, 2020. doi:10.2307/2714318.
3). Tindall, George B. South Carolina Negroes 1877-1900. Columbia, University of South Carolina Press. 2003.
4). 1880; Census Place: Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina; Roll: 1222; Page: 420D
5). 1900; Census Place: Charleston Ward 8, Charleston, South Carolina; Page: 10
6). 1910; Census Place: Charleston Ward 8, Charleston, South Carolina; Roll: T624_1452; Page: 9A;
7). Seventh Census Of The United States, 1850; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29.
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