George L. Crookham (1907-1999) studied botany and plant breeding at Oregon State College intermittently during the years 1927-1931. In 1929, he and a friend, Don Baldridge, purchased Crookham Seed Company in Caldwell, Idaho (now known as Crookham Company) from Crookham's father; his college studies were interspersed with business and crop responsibilities.
Founded in 1911, Crookham Company was the first company to produce hybrid sweet corn seed on a commercial scale in the 1930s.
In addition to his business activities, Crookham served as mayor of Caldwell, Idaho; an Idaho state legislator (1955-1961); and first Chairman of the Idaho Water Resources Board in 1968. Crookham was a candidate for Idaho governor in 1962 and was instrumental in the adoption of a sales tax in Idaho.
The George L. Crookham Memorial Scholarship was established in 2001 by Crookham's daughter, Judith C. Krueger, as an award for a student in horticulture at Oregon State University with an interest in plant breeding.
From the guide to the George L. Crookham Papers, 1927-2007, 1930-1984, (Oregon State University Libraries)
