William Crooks (colonel)
Colonel William Crooks | |
---|---|
6th Minnesota Infantry | |
Battles/wars | Battle of Birch Coulee |
Spouse(s) | Arabella Crooks, Harriet Marie Crooks |
Children | 4 |
Member of the Minnesota Senate from the 23rd district | |
In office January 4, 1881 – January 1, 1883 | |
Preceded by | John H. Reaney |
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 23rd district | |
In office January 5, 1875 – January 7, 1878 | |
Preceded by | Henry Meyerding |
Succeeded by | John H. Reaney |
Personal details | |
Residence | Saint Paul, Minnesota |
William Crooks (June 20, 1832 – December 17, 1907)
Early life and career
William Crooks was one of nine children born to Ramsay Crooks and Emilie Pratte. His father, Ramsay Crooks, was one of the most prominent figures in the North American fur trade, who had served as general manager of the American Fur Company working alongside founder John Jacob Astor from 1817, and as president after Astor retired in 1834.[2] His mother, Emilie Pratte, was the daughter of Bernard Pratte, a partner in the company's Western department.[2]
When William Crooks was seventeen, he enrolled at West Point and graduated in the department of Civil Engineers.
Civil War
On August 19, 1862, Minnesota Governor Alexander Ramsey went to William Crooks's office at the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company to inform him of the massacre at the Lower Sioux Agency, and urged him to go to Fort Snelling at once to take command of the citizens who had volunteered to relieve and defend the settlers who had been attacked by Dakota warriors. Crooks consented, and was initially tendered an officer's commission as lieutenant colonel of the 7th Minnesota Infantry Regiment. After taking command of his men, Crooks joined Colonel A.D. Nelson of the 6th Minnesota Infantry Regiment, who informed him that as a regular army officer, he did not want to report to the newly appointed Colonel Henry Hastings Sibley, a civilian, due to possible problems down the line with conflicting orders. Nelson returned to St. Paul and resigned, and the next morning, Crooks received his commission from the governor as colonel of the 6th.[9]
Thereafter, Colonel Crooks served as colonel in the
Death
For years of suffering from a kidney disease, William Crooks' condition became consistently worse until late 1907, when he contracted a severe cold. Many telegrams from prominent railroad officials throughout the country expressed sympathy for Crooks' family when he died at the age of 75 in Portland, Oregon. Crooks' funeral services were held in St. Paul days after his death, and his body was accompanied by his son and family. Colonel Crooks' engines used by the Northern Pacific Railway Company are still preserved in the car shops of the Hill system at St. Paul as a relic of the early railroad history of the country.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Crooks, William "Wm."". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ a b Ruckman, J. Ward (1926). "Ramsay Crooks and the Fur Trade of the Northwest" (PDF). Minnesota History: 25 – via Minnesota Historical Society.
- ^ "20 Apr 1939, 9 - The Evening News at Newspapers.com". Retrieved June 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Col. William Crooks – Oregon Pioneer Obituaries". Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- ^ a b "Renville County, Minnesota – Sioux Uprising, Birch Coulee". genealogytrails.com. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Sixth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment | MNopedia". www.mnopedia.org. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- ^ a b "Colonel William Crooks 1894". The Princeton Union. September 13, 1894. p. 3. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- ^ "Col. William Crooks – Oregon Pioneer Obituaries". Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Charles W. (1890–1893). "Narrative of the Sixth Regiment". In Minnesota Board of Commissioners on Publication of History of Minnesota in Civil and Indian Wars; Flandrau, Charles E. (eds.). Minnesota in the civil and Indian wars 1861–1865. St. Paul, Minn.: Printed for the state by the Pioneer Press Co. pp. 303–304.
- ^ "U.S. Dakota War 1862 Minnesota County by County" (PDF). U.S. Dakota War 1862 Minnesota County by County.
- ^ "Newspapers.com Viewer". Retrieved June 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.