Crittenden, Alexander Parker, 1816-1870

Biographical/Historical note

Crittenden was born in Lexington, KY and was assassinated on the ferry between Oakland and San Francisco in 1870. He was married with children. He was a military cadet at West Point Military Academy from 07/01/1832-07/01/1836. He joined the army as a lieutenant and resigned 09/30/1836. He worked as an assistant engineer for the railroads in Baltimore, MD, York, PA, Charleston, SC, and Augusta, SC. He was a lawyer in Texas from 1839-1849, and came to California during the Gold Rush. He was a member of the state assembly in Los Angeles before retiring to San Francisco. He was the grandson of John Crittenden, nephew of John Jordan Crittenden and Robert Crittenden, son of Thomas Turpin Crittenden (1788-1832), and brother of Union general Thomas Turpin Crittenden (1825-1905).

Crittenden had been having an affair with the widow of a state senator, Laura D. Fair. Shortly after he broke it off, he picked his wife up in Oakland after her trip back East. As the ferry left the dock Fair approached him and shot him; he died two days later. She was tried twice and acquitted after claiming "emotional insanity".

From the guide to the Crittenden, Alexander Parker Papers, 1847-1940 and undated, (Society of California Pioneers)