George Gordon Crawford

George Gordon Crawford (August 24, 1869 – March 20, 1936) was an American industrialist.^[1]

George Gordon Crawford
Born	(1869-08-24)August 24, 1869 Madison, Georgia
Died	March 20, 1936(1936-03-20) (aged 66) Fairfield, Alabama
Resting place	Elmwood Cemetery Birmingham, Alabama
Alma mater	Georgia Tech
Known for	Industrialist and Georgia Tech's second graduate

Early life and education

Crawford was born to George Gilmore and Margaret Reed Howard Crawford on August 24, 1869, and raised on a plantation in Madison, Georgia.^[2] He was the second graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology; the 1890 graduating class consisted of two people, himself and Henry L. Smith; their graduation order was decided by the flip of a coin.^[3] Crawford took a graduate course in chemistry from the University of Tübingen in Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany from 1891 to 1892.^[4]

Career

In 1907, he became the president of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company in Birmingham, Alabama, during which time he was named "Alabama's First Citizen".^[4][5] He became president of the Jones and Laughlin Steel Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1930.^[6]

Memberships and legacy

Crawford received an honorary doctorate from Georgia Tech in 1931,^[6] and was a member of the Georgia Tech Board of Trustees until its replacement by the Georgia Board of Regents in 1932.^[3] He is listed in the University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Commerce's Alabama Business Hall of Fame.^[5] He was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.^[7]

References

1. "Crawford, George Gordon". American National Biography. Oxford University Press. (subscription required)
2. Lewis, Walter David (1994). Sloss Furnaces and the rise of the Birmingham district: an industrial epic. University of Alabama Press. ISBN 9780817356682.
3. Wallace, Robert (1969). Dress Her in WHITE and GOLD: A biography of Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech Foundation.
4. McCleary, James Thompson (1911). Biographical directory of the American Iron and Steel Institute. American Iron and Steel Institute. p. 73. George Gordon Crawford 1890.
5. "Birmingham Baron" (PDF). Alabama Business Hall of Fame. University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Commerce. June 2010. p. 52. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
6. McMath, Robert C.; Ronald H. Bayor; James E. Brittain; Lawrence Foster; August W. Giebelhaus; Germaine M. Reed. Engineering the New South: Georgia Tech 1885-1985. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press. p. 63.
7. Alpha Tau Omega (1897). Catalogue of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity: 1865-1897. By the fraternity. p. 209. George Gordon Crawford 1890.

Further reading

• "Citizens of State to Give Cup to George Gordon Crawford". Birmingham Age-Herald. 1930-06-30. p. 2.
• "Crawford Made Head of Group: Leads Ordnance Body for U.S. Army". Birmingham Post. 1927-09-22. p. 14.
• "Crawford Rites are Planned for Saturday: Leader in Development of City Passes at Local Hospital". Birmingham Age-Herald. 1936-03-21. p. 1.
• "Crawford to be Given Huge Cup". Birmingham News. 1930-06-30. p. 2.
• "Crawford to Leave T.C.I. for New Job: Elected to Presidency of Jones and Laughlin Steel Corp". Birmingham Post. 1930-01-28. p. 1.
• "George G. Crawford Helped Put TCI on Feet". Birmingham News. 1960-04-27. p. 21.
• "George Gordon Crawford: A Gentleman in Industry". Birmingham News. 1936-03-21. p. 4.
• Rikard, Marlene Hunt (1971). George Gordon Crawford: Man of the New South (Thesis). Samford University.
• "Former Head of T.C.I. Dies After Lengthy Illness: George Gordon Crawford Prominent in Building of Steel Center". Birmingham News. 1936-03-20. pp. 1, 13.