"C" is Crafts, William (1787-1862)

"C" is Crafts, William (1787-1862). Legislator, writer, reformer. A native of Charleston, Crafts graduated from Harvard and returned home to practice law. In 1807 he and others founded the Conversation or Literary Club. Crafts was one of the dominant literary figures in the city during the early nineteenth century. Crafts played a significant role in several reform movements. As a member of the General Assembly he led the successful fight to prevent the abolition of the state’s free schools. He was also a strong advocate for the education of the hearing- and speech-impaired. This brought him into alliance with key supporters of the campaign for a state asylum for the insane. As a legislator, William Crafts convinced the General Assembly to pass legislation authorizing a state lunatic asylum and a school for the deaf and dumb.