November 2, 1877

Alabama lawmaker William Benjamin Craig was born on this day in 1877. The attorney and Democratic congressman represented Alabama’s Fourth Congressional District for two terms. Before that, he served one term in the Alabama Senate. Craig was born in Selma, Dallas County, to George Henry and Sarah Alvena White Craig. His father, a veteran and a lawyer, was elected to Congress for one term as a Republican in 1882, also representing the Fourth Congressional District. Craig’s great-grandfather, John White, was a member of the Alabama Supreme Court from 1825 to 1832. Craig was educated in Selma public schools. After completing high school, he worked as an apprentice machinist in the Southern Railway shops in Selma from 1893 to 1897.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.