Charles Miller Croswell (October 31, 1825 – December 13, 1886) was the 17th governor of Michigan from 1877 to 1881. Early life in New York Croswell was born in Newburgh, New York, the only son of John and Sallie (née Hicks) Croswell. His father, who was of Scots-Irish extraction, was a paper maker, and carried on business in New York City. His ancestors on his mother's side were of Knickerbocker descent. Some members of the Croswell family were connected with notable events in New York and Connecticut, including Harry Croswell, a pro-Federalist newspaper editor, convicted of libel against President Thomas Jefferson in a landmark case in New York. When Croswell was seven years old his mother and younger sister died of fever. A few months later his father accidentally drowned in the Hudson River. Charles was taken in to live with the family of his mother's brother, Daniel Hicks. Early life in Michigan In 1837, when Croswell was 12, the Hicks family moved to Adrian, Michigan. At 16, he began studying to be a carpenter—his uncle's trade—and pursued that vocation for four years. According to one biography, he "worked at it very diligently ... maintaining himself, and devoting his spare time to reading and the acquirement of knowledge." Croswell began to study the law in 1846. That same year, he was appointed Deputy Clerk of Lenawee County. His uncle, Daniel, had been the first Register of Deeds for Lenawee County. In 1847, Hicks went to fight in the Mexican–American War. After returning from the war, Hicks went to Sault Ste. Marie to be a collector of the port there and soon after died from yellow fever, which he had contracted in Mexico. After this, Charles bought the house in Adrian that he had helped to build from his aunt for $1,700. Early political career In 1848, Croswell ran on the Whig ticket for the position of County Clerk, but was defeated. In 1850, he was elected as a Whig to be Register of Deeds for the county in 1850 and was re-elected in 1852. In 1854, he took part in the formation of the Republican Party, where he was a member and Secretary of the convention held at Jackson, Michigan. In 1855 he formed a law partnership with Thomas M. Cooley, who later became Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. This partnership continued until 1859, when Cooley moved to