Crowell, Benedict, 1869-1952

Cleveland engineer, builder and bank president who became Assistant Secretary of War and Director of Munitions during World War I.

From the description of Papers, 1794-1952, bulk 1917-1938 / [Benedict Crowell, et al.] (Rhinelander District Library). WorldCat record id: 19898846

Brigadier General Benedict Crowell (1869-1952) was born in a small house on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, just a short walk away from the Central National Bank he later served as president. His father, William Crowell, named his son after his wife, Mary Benedict Crowell. After graduation from Rockwell School and St. paul's, he attended Case Institute of Technology. He transferred to Yale University where he majored in chemistry and earned a Ph.B. in 1891. In 1918, he was awarded a Master of Science from the same university.

After graduation, Crowell worked for the Otis Steel Company of Cleveland as a chemical engineer. There, he developed a process to determine phosphorous content in steel. This process took only twenty minutes instead of the three hours required by the old method. He then worked as a mining engineer in Brazil, Alaska, and Mexico before starting the Crowell & Little Construction Company.

After service during World War I, he returned to the construction business. In 1938, he was named president of the Central National Bank, where he remained until shortly before his death in 1952. He was also appointed to the board of directors of the Nickel Plate railroad in 1941.

Crowell's public service began when Newton D. Baker appointed him to the Civil Service Commission. In 1916, he served on the Kerman Board which was charged with determining the feasibility of manufacturing all armaments in government arsenals. When war was declared, he went to the first Officers' Training Camp at Plattsburg where he graduated with the rank of major.

He was ordered to Washington to supervise artillery castings as a major of ordnance. He later transferred to head the Washington office of the Panama Canal Zone. In 1917, Secretary of War Baker appointed him Assistant Secretary of War, and a year later gave him the additional job of Director of Munitions. During Secretary Baker's trips to Europe, Crowell served as Acting Secretary of War.

After the War, President Wilson twice sent Crowell to France on special missions. He first went to Europe to study aviation developments, a topic that had interested him for some years. He journeyed later to France where he disposed of four hundred million dollars worth of military equipment.

In 1922, a Washington grand jury, in a move heavy with political overtones, indicted General Crowell and six of his aides from the Emergency Construction Committee of the Council of National Defense. They were charged with altering the contract bidding system to enrich construction firms in which they had some interest. The indictment stood without trial until 1925 when Attorney General Harlan F. Stone dropped the charges for lack of evidence. President Hoover called the indictment an "inadvertent but grave injustice," and promoted Crowell to Brigadier General in 1931.

In the time between the world wars, Crowell served the public in a number of capacities. He was a member of the Bituminous Coal Authority for the Central States and state director of the National Emergency Council during the Great Depression. He also served as director for the regional boards of the National Recovery Administration and the Social Security Administration and as chairman of the Ohio Repeal Council Against Prohibition.

General Crowell was also an author. His work Munitions of War reached 1,500 pages. With Charles B. Murray, he wrote Iron Ores of Lake Superior which went through six editions. With Robert F. Wilson, he also wrote the six volume work, How America Went to War .

During World War II, Crowell's friend Henry Stimson appointed him special consultant to the Secretary of War, a position he held for the duration of the war. After the war, he bid farewell to Secretary Stimson, quipping that they would have to get together again during the next year.

General Crowell was founder and first president of the Army Ordnance Association, an organization advocating national defense preparedness. He served as president of the National Rifle Association. He was also a member of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers and the Society of Military Engineers. His clubs included the Yale Club, the University of New York Club, and the Union Club of Cleveland.

In 1950, Crowell became ill and moved into a private nursing home where he died on September 8, 1952. After services in the Wade Memorial Chapel in Cleveland's Lake View Cemetery, he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Benedict Crowell

From the guide to the Benedict Crowell Papers, 1794-1952, 1917-1938, (Western Reserve Historical Society)

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Benedict Crowell

Brigadier General Benedict Crowell (1869-1952) was born in a small house on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, just a short walk away from the Central National Bank he later served as president. His father, William Crowell, named his son after his wife, Mary Benedict Crowell. After graduation from Rockwell School and St. paul's, he attended Case Institute of Technology. He transferred to Yale University where he majored in chemistry and earned a Ph.B. in 1891. In 1918, he was awarded a Master of Science from the same university.

After graduation, Crowell worked for the Otis Steel Company of Cleveland as a chemical engineer. There, he developed a process to determine phosphorous content in steel. This process took only twenty minutes instead of the three hours required by the old method. He then worked as a mining engineer in Brazil, Alaska, and Mexico before starting the Crowell & Little Construction Company.

After service during World War I, he returned to the construction business. In 1938, he was named president of the Central National Bank, where he remained until shortly before his death in 1952. He was also appointed to the board of directors of the Nickel Plate railroad in 1941.

Crowell's public service began when Newton D. Baker appointed him to the Civil Service Commission. In 1916, he served on the Kerman Board which was charged with determining the feasibility of manufacturing all armaments in government arsenals. When war was declared, he went to the first Officers' Training Camp at Plattsburg where he graduated with the rank of major.

He was ordered to Washington to supervise artillery castings as a major of ordnance. He later transferred to head the Washington office of the Panama Canal Zone. In 1917, Secretary of War Baker appointed him Assistant Secretary of War, and a year later gave him the additional job of Director of Munitions. During Secretary Baker's trips to Europe, Crowell served as Acting Secretary of War.

After the War, President Wilson twice sent Crowell to France on special missions. He first went to Europe to study aviation developments, a topic that had interested him for some years. He journeyed later to France where he disposed of four hundred million dollars worth of military equipment.

In 1922, a Washington grand jury, in a move heavy with political overtones, indicted General Crowell and six of his aides from the Emergency Construction Committee of the Council of National Defense. They were charged with altering the contract bidding system to enrich construction firms in which they had some interest. The indictment stood without trial until 1925 when Attorney General Harlan F. Stone dropped the charges for lack of evidence. President Hoover called the indictment an "inadvertent but grave injustice," and promoted Crowell to Brigadier General in 1931.

In the time between the world wars, Crowell served the public in a number of capacities. He was a member of the Bituminous Coal Authority for the Central States and state director of the National Emergency Council during the Great Depression. He also served as director for the regional boards of the National Recovery Administration and the Social Security Administration and as chairman of the Ohio Repeal Council Against Prohibition.

General Crowell was also an author. His work Munitions of War reached 1,500 pages. With Charles B. Murray, he wrote Iron Ores of Lake Superior which went through six editions. With Robert F. Wilson, he also wrote the six volume work, How America Went to War.

During World War II, Crowell's friend Henry Stimson appointed him special consultant to the Secretary of War, a position he held for the duration of the war. After the war, he bid farewell to Secretary Stimson, quipping that they would have to get together again during the next year.

General Crowell was founder and first president of the Army Ordnance Association, an organization advocating national defense preparedness. He served as president of the National Rifle Association. He was also a member of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers and the Society of Military Engineers. His clubs included the Yale Club, the University of New York Club, and the Union Club of Cleveland.

In 1950, Crowell became ill and moved into a private nursing home where he died on September 8, 1952. After services in the Wade Memorial Chapel in Cleveland's Lake View Cemetery, he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

From the guide to the Benedict Crowell Photographs, Series II, 1917-1940, (Western Reserve Historical Society)

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Benedict Crowell

Brigadier General Benedict Crowell (1869-1952) was born in a small house on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, just a short walk away from the Central National Bank he later served as president. His father, William Crowell, named his son after his wife, Mary Benedict Crowell. After graduation from Rockwell School and St. paul's, he attended Case Institute of Technology. He transferred to Yale University where he majored in chemistry and earned a Ph.B. in 1891. In 1918, he was awarded a Master of Science from the same university.

After graduation, Crowell worked for the Otis Steel Company of Cleveland as a chemical engineer. There, he developed a process to determine phosphorous content in steel. This process took only twenty minutes instead of the three hours required by the old method. He then worked as a mining engineer in Brazil, Alaska, and Mexico before starting the Crowell & Little Construction Company.

After service during World War I, he returned to the construction business. In 1938, he was named president of the Central National Bank, where he remained until shortly before his death in 1952. He was also appointed to the board of directors of the Nickel Plate railroad in 1941.

Crowell's public service began when Newton D. Baker appointed him to the Civil Service Commission. In 1916, he served on the Kerman Board which was charged with determining the feasibility of manufacturing all armaments in government arsenals. When war was declared, he went to the first Officers' Training Camp at Plattsburg where he graduated with the rank of major.

He was ordered to Washington to supervise artillery castings as a major of ordnance. He later transferred to head the Washington office of the Panama Canal Zone. In 1917, Secretary of War Baker appointed him Assistant Secretary of War, and a year later gave him the additional job of Director of Munitions. During Secretary Baker's trips to Europe, Crowell served as Acting Secretary of War.

After the War, President Wilson twice sent Crowell to France on special missions. He first went to Europe to study aviation developments, a topic that had interested him for some years. He journeyed later to France where he disposed of four hundred million dollars worth of military equipment.

In 1922, a Washington grand jury, in a move heavy with political overtones, indicted General Crowell and six of his aides from the Emergency Construction Committee of the Council of National Defense. They were charged with altering the contract bidding system to enrich construction firms in which they had some interest. The indictment stood without trial until 1925 when Attorney General Harlan F. Stone dropped the charges for lack of evidence. President Hoover called the indictment an "inadvertent but grave injustice," and promoted Crowell to Brigadier General in 1931.

In the time between the world wars, Crowell served the public in a number of capacities. He was a member of the Bituminous Coal Authority for the Central States and state director of the National Emergency Council during the Great Depression. He also served as director for the regional boards of the National Recovery Administration and the Social Security Administration and as chairman of the Ohio Repeal Council Against Prohibition.

General Crowell was also an author. His work Munitions of War reached 1,500 pages. With Charles B. Murray, he wrote Iron Ores of Lake Superior which went through six editions. With Robert F. Wilson, he also wrote the six volume work, How America Went to War.

During World War II, Crowell's friend Henry Stimson appointed him special consultant to the Secretary of War, a position he held for the duration of the war. After the war, he bid farewell to Secretary Stimson, quipping that they would have to get together again during the next year.

General Crowell was founder and first president of the Army Ordnance Association, an organization advocating national defense preparedness. He served as president of the National Rifle Association. He was also a member of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers and the Society of Military Engineers. His clubs included the Yale Club, the University of New York Club, and the Union Club of Cleveland.

In 1950, Crowell became ill and moved into a private nursing home where he died on September 8, 1952. After services in the Wade Memorial Chapel in Cleveland's Lake View Cemetery, he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

From the guide to the Benedict Crowell Photographs, 1875-1950, (Western Reserve Historical Society)