Title: |
John F. McCrystal, Sr. Collection |
Repository: |
Sandusky Library
http://www.sanduskylib.org |
Creator: |
John F. McCrystal |
Dates: |
1878-1932 |
Bulk dates: |
1893-1925 |
Quantity: |
.5 linear feet |
Abstract: |
The John F. McCrystal, Sr. Collection is a part of the Biography Collection of the Sandusky Library Archives. Items within the collection focus primarily on John F. McCrystal, Sr.'s prominent legal and political career in Sandusky during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The collection includes several letters and items relating to Sandusky's Legal Advisory Board. Items referencing John A. Himmelein and George P. Chambers appear throughout the collection. |
Identification: |
BIOG-McCrystal |
Location: |
Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, Box G-23, Folders 9 - 21 |
Language: |
The records are in English |
John F. McCrystal, Sr. was born on 22 June 1863 on Kelleys Island. Patrick and Bridget McCrystal and their one-year-old son, John, moved to Sandusky the following year. After receiving an education initially from his father and later through local Catholic Schools, McCrystal worked for about ten years at the Sandusky Tool Works.
At the age of twenty-one he was elected to Sandusky City Council in 1884, the youngest member to ever serve at that time. In 1886, McCrystal was appointed deputy clerk of courts for Erie County, where he served under Silas E. Bauden. His employment in city and county government led him to study law, which led to him passing the bar examination in 1889. After a few years working at the law firm of Phinney and Curran, he was selected city solicitor in 1891, where he served for two terms.
After completing his second term as city solicitor, McCrystal entered into private law practice, which led to a respected reputation throughout Sandusky, the state of Ohio, and the region. His membership in the Ohio State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Erie County Bar Association, and St. George's Court, in addition to his active service in political affairs led to his appointment during World War I as chairman of Erie County's Legal Advisory Board.
After practicing law in Sandusky for fifty years, John F. McCrystal, Sr. died in July 1939, leaving behind his wife, Elizabeth H. McCrystal, three sons, and three brothers. At the time of his death two of his sons, John F. McCrystal, Jr. (1910-1966 who previously served as a State Representative for Erie County) and Robert W. McCrystal (1912-1974), worked with him as practicing attorneys in Sandusky. John and Elizabeth's youngest son, James L. McCrystal (1918-1999), was attending John Carroll University at the time of his father's death. He too entered the law practice. James' son (John F. McCrystal's grandson), James L. McCrystal, Jr. also entered the law profession, which by 1989 resulted in one hundred years of McCrystals practicing law in the State of Ohio.
The John F. McCrystal, Sr. Collection includes approximately 175 items relating to John F. McCrystal Sr.'s involvement in legal matters, civic organizations, and Sandusky's Legal Advisory Board. Folders 9 through 14 consist primarily of correspondence, stock certificates, and miscellaneous items. Folders 15 through 18 contain business and legal correspondence, financial documents, and letters and items associated with the Legal Advisory Board. Folders 19, 20, and 21 include invitations, blue prints, and brochures.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
John F. McCrystal, Sr. Collection, Sandusky Library Archives Research Center