United States Minister to Liberia, 1910-1912.
Dr. William Demosthenes Crum, 1859–1912. The son of a white father and a free black mother, Crum attended medical school in the North. There he married Ellen Craft, the daughter of William and Ellen Craft, fugitive slaves who fled to England and wrote an book about their escape, Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom.
In 1902 President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Dr. Crum collector of customs in Charleston, a post that gave him authority over white men. A storm of controversy erupted, and the fight over his confirmation became one of the most significant battles of Roosevelt's presidency. Roosevelt resorted to a technicality: he made the appointment during a congressional recess, removing the need for Senate approval. But William Howard Taft became president in 1909, and he refused to reappoint Crum as collector of the customs. Instead, he proposed that Crum be made consul general to Liberia, a position traditionally given to a black politician. Crum accepted the job and moved to Monrovia with his wife. He had always been interested in infectious diseases, and he treated some of his colleagues for "African fever." In September 1912 Dr. Crum himself contracted African fever and returned to the United States, where he could get better medical care. Shortly after he reached Charleston, Dr. Crum died.
Dr. William Demosthenes Crum, 1859–1912. The son of a white father and a free black mother, Crum attended medical school in the North. There he married Ellen Craft, the daughter of William and Ellen Craft, fugitive slaves who fled to England and wrote an book about their escape, Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom.
In 1902 President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Dr. Crum collector of customs in Charleston, a post that gave him authority over white men. A storm of controversy erupted, and the fight over his confirmation became one of the most significant battles of Roosevelt's presidency. Roosevelt resorted to a technicality: he made the appointment during a congressional recess, removing the need for Senate approval. But William Howard Taft became president in 1909, and he refused to reappoint Crum as collector of the customs. Instead, he proposed that Crum be made consul general to Liberia, a position traditionally given to a black politician. Crum accepted the job and moved to Monrovia with his wife. He had always been interested in infectious diseases, and he treated some of his colleagues for "African fever." In September 1912 Dr. Crum himself contracted African fever and returned to the United States, where he could get better medical care. Shortly after he reached Charleston, Dr. Crum died.
United States Minister to Liberia, 1910-1912.
Dr. William Demosthenes Crum, 1859–1912. The son of a white father and a free black mother, Crum attended medical school in the North. There he married Ellen Craft, the daughter of William and Ellen Craft, fugitive slaves who fled to England and wrote an book about their escape, Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom.
In 1902 President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Dr. Crum collector of customs in Charleston, a post that gave him authority over white men. A storm of controversy erupted, and the fight over his confirmation became one of the most significant battles of Roosevelt's presidency. Roosevelt resorted to a technicality: he made the appointment during a congressional recess, removing the need for Senate approval. But William Howard Taft became president in 1909, and he refused to reappoint Crum as collector of the customs. Instead, he proposed that Crum be made consul general to Liberia, a position traditionally given to a black politician. Crum accepted the job and moved to Monrovia with his wife. He had always been interested in infectious diseases, and he treated some of his colleagues for "African fever." In September 1912 Dr. Crum himself contracted African fever and returned to the United States, where he could get better medical care. Shortly after he reached Charleston, Dr. Crum died.
Dr. William Demosthenes Crum, 1859–1912. The son of a white father and a free black mother, Crum attended medical school in the North. There he married Ellen Craft, the daughter of William and Ellen Craft, fugitive slaves who fled to England and wrote an book about their escape, Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom.
In 1902 President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Dr. Crum collector of customs in Charleston, a post that gave him authority over white men. A storm of controversy erupted, and the fight over his confirmation became one of the most significant battles of Roosevelt's presidency. Roosevelt resorted to a technicality: he made the appointment during a congressional recess, removing the need for Senate approval. But William Howard Taft became president in 1909, and he refused to reappoint Crum as collector of the customs. Instead, he proposed that Crum be made consul general to Liberia, a position traditionally given to a black politician. Crum accepted the job and moved to Monrovia with his wife. He had always been interested in infectious diseases, and he treated some of his colleagues for "African fever." In September 1912 Dr. Crum himself contracted African fever and returned to the United States, where he could get better medical care. Shortly after he reached Charleston, Dr. Crum died.
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