Charles Crookham

Charles Sewell Crookham (March 17, 1923 – October 7, 2004), a native and lifelong resident of the U.S. state of Oregon, was a lawyer, a Republican politician, jurist, and military historian. He was briefly Oregon Attorney General, appointed to serve out David Frohnmayer's uncompleted term, but most of his professional career was spent in the private practice of law and as a judge.

Early life

Crookham was born on St. Patrick's Day in 1923 in Portland, Oregon. He was the son of Kenneth Crookham, who worked for an automobile dealership at the time, and who later went into the business himself. He grew up in the family home on Northeast 38th Street, attending neighborhood schools. He had already decided on a career in law at the age of eight, at the urging of an uncle.

His decision left the field wide open for candidates, and a hotly contested race resulted in both the Republican and Democratic Party of Oregon primaries that year. Craig Berkman, Oregon Republican chairman at the time, was reported to be disappointed at Crookham's decision not to run. "Frankly, this makes it very difficult for the Republican Party," Berkman is quoted as saying. "I think he would have made an excellent candidate, but I can hardly blame him for not wanting to commit to an office that he would be in until at least age 73." and booked into jail on June 28, 1995, in Multnomah County, Oregon in a case covered extensively in the Oregon press.