Winthrop M. Crane

Winthrop Murray Crane
United States Senator
from Massachusetts
In office
October 12, 1904 – March 3, 1913
Preceded byGeorge F. Hoar
Succeeded byJohn W. Weeks
40th Governor of Massachusetts
In office
January 4, 1900 – January 8, 1903
LieutenantJohn L. Bates
Preceded byRoger Wolcott
Succeeded byJohn L. Bates
37th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
In office
1897–1900
GovernorRoger Wolcott
Preceded byRoger Wolcott
Succeeded byJohn L. Bates
Personal details
Born(1853-04-23)April 23, 1853
Dalton, Massachusetts
DiedOctober 2, 1920(1920-10-02) (aged 67)
Dalton, Massachusetts
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Mary Benner (1880—84)
Josephine Porter Boardman (1884—1920)
ChildrenWinthrop Murray Crane II
Stephen Crane
Bruce Crane
Louise Crane
Signature

Winthrop Murray Crane (commonly referred to as W. Murray Crane or simply Murray Crane; April 23, 1853 – October 2, 1920) was an American businessman and Republican Party politician who served as the 40th governor of Massachusetts from 1900 to 1903 and represented that state in the United States Senate from 1904 to 1913.

In 1879, he secured his family company, paper manufacturer Crane & Co., an exclusive government contract to supply the paper for United States currency, a monopoly the company holds to this day. During the 1890s he became increasingly active in state Republican politics, and became a dominant figure in the local, state, and national party. He was successively elected the 37th lieutenant governor of Massachusetts (in 1896) and 40th governor (in 1899). In 1904, he was appointed to the United States Senate and served until 1913.

Crane advised Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. His success as Governor in defusing a Teamsters strike prompted Roosevelt to bring him in as a negotiator to resolve the Coal Strike of 1902. He refused repeated offers for cabinet-level positions and was known to dislike campaigning and giving speeches. Near the end of his career, he served as a political mentor to future President Calvin Coolidge, who was elected vice president one month after Crane's death.