Crimmins, Martin Lalor

Martin Lalor Crimmins (1876-1955), army officer, herpetologist, and military historian, was born in New York City. He attended Georgetown College in Washington, D.C., 1891-1895, and the University of Virginia Medical School, 1895-1898. Before he could graduate, however, he joined the First United States Volunteer Cavalry (also known as the Rough Riders) in the Spanish-American War, and earned multiple promotions, ending with his reaching colonel status in 1921. He retired from military service due to physical disability in the line of duty in 1926 and moved to San Antonio.

Crimmins was known for his work in the under-developed field of snakebite treatment, especially as he developed his own immunity to the serum and then gave blood transfusions to victims. For this effort he earned the Walter Reed Award for courageous service. He later published over 200 articles, mostly with historical themes, and was an active member of a number of Texas associations related to science and history. He married Margaret Custis Cole in 1901 and Josephine Yost in 1918. He died in 1955.

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