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Higher Office(s) Served: Representative

Military Service: Army

War(s) Served:  Civil War

LORENZO CROUNSE, the ninth governor of Nebraska, was born in Sharon, New York, on January 27, 1834. His education was attained the New York Conference Seminary and in the public schools of his native state. While teaching school, Crounse studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1857, and then established his legal career in Fort Plain, New York. During the Civil War, he served as captain of Battery K, 1^st New York Light Artillery, and was wounded in battle, resulting in his early dismissal from duty in 1862. Two years later, he moved to Nebraska, where he continued to practice law. Crounse first entered politics as a one-term member of the Nebraska Territorial House of Representatives, a position he was elected to in 1866. He served as a delegate to the 1866 State Constitutional Convention, was an associate justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court from 1867 to 1873, and served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1873 to 1877. He also served as the Nebraska internal revenue collector from 1879 to 1883, was chairman of the Nebraska delegation to the 1880 Republican National Convention, and served as the assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury from 1891 to 1892. Crounse next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote in November 1892. He was sworn into office on January 13, 1893. During his tenure, railroad legislation was sanctioned; state spending was limited; and impeachment charges were brought against three state officers. After declining to run for reelection, Crounse left office on January 3, 1895. He continued to stay politically active, serving as a one-term member of the Nebraska State Senate in 1900. Governor Lorenzo Crounse passed away on May 13, 1909, and was buried in the City Cemetery in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska.

Sources:

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 3, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress

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