John McClannahan Crockett

John McClannahan Crockett
8th Lieutenant Governor of Texas
In office November 7, 1861 – November 5, 1863
Governor	Francis Lubbock
Preceded by	Edward Clark
Succeeded by	Fletcher Stockdale
2nd, 5th and 8th Mayor of Dallas
In office 1865–1866
Preceded by	No mayor due to the American Civil War
Succeeded by	John W. Lane
In office 1859–1861
Preceded by	A. D. Rice
Succeeded by	J. L. Smith
In office 1857–1858
Preceded by	Dr. Samuel B. Pryor
Succeeded by	Isaac Naylor
Personal details
Born	(1816-12-26)December 26, 1816 Lancaster, South Carolina
Died	August 4, 1887(1887-08-04) (aged 70) Dallas, Texas
Resting place	Old Masonic Cemetery, Dallas
Political party	Democratic
Profession	Lawyer, politician

John McClannahan Crockett (December 26, 1816 – August 4, 1887) was a Texan lawyer, mayor of Dallas, and the eighth Lieutenant Governor of Texas. A South Carolina native, Crockett moved to Texas in 1847. He became the second mayor of Dallas, and the eighth Lieutenant Governor of Texas from 1861–1863.

Early life

Crockett was born at Lancaster, South Carolina, on December 26, 1816. He studied at Franklin Academy in Lancaster. Before studying law, he was involved in a business career. He married Catherine W. Polk on March 17, 1837. He started studying law in 1841, and in 1844, he was granted a license to practice law.

Life in Texas

Crockett and his wife, Catherine, moved to the city of Paris, Texas in 1847. In 1848 they moved to the Dallas area. William H. Hord, the brother-in-law of Crockett, was county judge there. Crockett started practicing law in the Dallas area, and also became deputy county clerk there. He became commissioner of the Mercer colony in 1850. In 1851 he became state representative from the Dallas area. He was involved in multiple court trials, and was a law partner of John Jay Good in the first half of the 1850s.

Dallas was granted a town charter on February 2, 1856, by the Texas legislature. Crockett was elected as the second mayor of Dallas in 1857, serving for three non-consecutive terms; his last was 1865–1866.

Crockett became meteorological observer for the Smithsonian Institution in Dallas in 1859. He was elected as the eighth Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1861. He left the lieutenant governor's office in 1863. Despite a supportive constituency, he refused to enter the race for the governorship of Texas. He returned to the Dallas area to become superintendent of the Confederate arms factory in Lancaster, Texas.

After the war, he incorporated the Dallas Grain, Elevator, and Flouring Company in 1872. In 1875, he became a charter member of the executive committee of the Dallas Pioneers Association.

Death

Crockett died on August 4, 1887; he was interred at the Old Masonic Cemetery, Dallas.