The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TRIBUTE TO MR. WILLIAM BARTLEY CRAWLEY UPON THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1531-E1532 on July 19, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO MR. WILLIAM BARTLEY CRAWLEY UPON THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF
HIS DEATH
______
HON. JO BONNER
of alabama
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to William Bartley Crawley, a prominent Alabama farmer, agricultural leader, and conservationist, on the fiftieth anniversary of his death.
In the heart of Pike County near Banks, Alabama, lies State Road 201, a nondescript mile-and-a-half stretch of blacktop one would use if traveling from Brundidge to Monticello and points beyond. The pastoral setting along State Road 201 understates the legacy and the prominence of the man who lived in the white farmhouse along that highway among the rolling fields of peanuts and cotton. By an act of the Alabama Legislature, State Road 201 now bears that man's name: the William Bartley Crawley Highway.
The legacy of Mr. Crawley is as deep and rich as the red dirt road that ran due east from the white farmhouse into the heart of the 3,000 acre Crawley farm.
William Bartley Crawley was born August 21, 1893, the fifth of six children of John Henry Crawley and Laura Jane Stokes. John Henry was a respected farmer in the Banks community and passed his love for farming to his children. William Bartley, or W.B., married Willie T. Brantley in 1913 and spent the years 1915 to 1932 not as a farmer, but as a road contractor, building many of the farm-to-market and butter-and-egg roads on which agriculture in the South had come to depend.
Mr. Crawley ultimately yielded to his passion to farm full-time, and was soon thereafter called on to speak for all the farmers in the community. Thus began what would become a lifetime of service as a leading voice in agriculture in Alabama and the Nation.
Mr. Crawley's first leadership role began in 1933 when he was named Pike County, Alabama's committeeman to the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA). The AAA, the forerunner of the Production and Marketing Administration (PMA), was established within the U.S. Department of Agriculture to raise farm prices by limiting and diversifying crop production, and to protect the long-term viability of farming by introducing soil conservation methods. Mr. Crawley quickly rose to prominence in the AAA becoming Alabama state committeeman in 1935 and serving as Chairman of Alabama's State committee from 1938 to 1948.
During the same period, Mr. Crawley founded, in 1937, the Georgia, Florida, Alabama Peanut Association (GFA) to represent the collective interests of all peanut growers in the region. He served as president of the association from 1937 to 1951 during which time GFA became a political juggernaut with over 93,000 members across six States and wielded significant influence in national agriculture policy.
As president of GFA, Mr. Crawley was called to Washington, D.C., by the Secretary of Agriculture, in December, 1940, to consult on legislation regarding peanut farming. In March, 1941, again in Washington, Mr. Crawley testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee, and one month later the landmark ``Pace Peanut Bill'' became law. Among other things, the 1941 Peanut Bill set up marketing quotas that guaranteed peanut farmers a fair price on peanuts grown on their allotted acres. Ultimately, GFA initiatives raised the price of peanuts from $30 per ton in 1937 to $240 per ton in 1948, while at the same time increasing per-acre yields and introducing important soil conservation measures.
Of course, during his years of public service Mr. Crawley continued to manage a large productive farm in Banks as well as help Willie T. rear a large active family: their sons, Thomas Marion, born in 1914, William Douglas, born in 1915, William Brantley, born in 1919; and James Beard (Corky), born in 1928; and their daughters, Annie Lester, born in 1921, and Jane Carolyn, born in 1924. The concept of service-
above-self ran strong in the next generation of Crawleys, and during World War II Mr. Crawley had to call on German prisoners of war interned in nearby camps to work his farm while his own sons and many of his tenants were at war. The husband of one of his daughters was, in fact, himself, a prisoner of war of the Germans.
In 1948, Mr. Crawley was once again called to service in Washington, D.C., this time by President Truman and Secretary of Agriculture Charles F. Brannan, for a full-time leadership position in the Production and Marketing Administration (PMA).
Mr. Crawley was reluctant to move to Washington, as the GFA News reported, because, ``frankly . . . leaving his home, his family, his friends, his farm, and last but not least, his fish pond, is a very unhappy task.'' However, as the paper went on to report about Mr. Crawley, ``But fifteen years spent in working with and for farmers in every county in his state . . . have so channeled his thoughts and formulated his actions . . . he has answered the call to Washington with the same understanding for the needs of American agriculture and the same deep sense of loyalty . . . which characterized his long years of public service.''
In Washington, Mr. Crawley served as assistant administrator of PMA and was responsible for all agricultural conservation programs nationwide. In 1949, Mr. Crawley was confirmed by the Senate for the additional responsibility of serving as one of six members on the Board of Directors of the influential Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). His service on the national stage brought to the Nation the same positive benefits he had earlier delivered for Alabama: higher crop prices, improved per-acre yields, and major improvements in soil conservation methods.
In 1953, Mr. Crawley returned to his farm in Banks and, on July 23, 1955, died at the age of 61. During his life he had never viewed farmers in shades of black and white, but rather fought relentlessly to improve the plight of all farmers. As a testament to his lifetime of inclusion his funeral was officiated by ministers both black and white.
Mr. Speaker, I am honored today to pay tribute to the outstanding service and the lasting legacy of Mr. William Bartley Crawley, and I ask my colleagues to join with me in recognizing the work and achievements of this native son of Alabama.
____________________
