Leroy Bowers Crane

Leroy Bowers Crane (June 9, 1849 – May 15, 1916) was an American politician and magistrate from New York. He served in the New York State Assembly from 1882 to 1883 and was a magistrate of New York City from 1895 to 1911.

Early life Leroy Bowers Crane was born on June 9, 1849, in Lowell, Massachusetts. He attended common schools in Lowell.

In 1865, Crane moved to New York City and worked as an errand boy for H.B. Claflin & Company. He remained there until he began the study of law in 1870. In 1884, he ran on an independent ticket and was endorsed by Theodore Roosevelt. He lost the election to Jacob A. Cantor.

Crane was president of the Sugar Coated Yeast Company. It had a big plant on upper Second Avenue.

On July 1, 1895, Crane was appointed by mayor William Lafayette Strong as magistrate. He served on the West Side Court. In 1906, he was criticized by the appellate division for committing Joseph A. Farley, a real estate dealer, to prison without any warrant, but the case did not come to trial. From 1909 to 1911, he left the bench due to illness. Due to his inability to serve during his illness, he retired from the bench. During his tenure on the bench, he criticized mayor George B. McClellan Jr. He remarked about McClellan and the Sharkey Athletic Club, "if we had a real mayor in the City Hall with a little brain and backbone instead of the little man now there, these clubs could not exist. But with that little man there, the politicians have a hold on everything and their pull controls the city". He also remarked that Theodore A. Bingham was the best commissioner the city has had, but that politicians hedged his efforts. In 1912, he was mentioned as a potential Republican candidate for mayor of New York City.

Personal life Crane married Louise B. They had a son and four daughters, including Clara L., Mrs. A. J. Dueth, Mrs. E. R. MacKenzie, and Mrs. P. H. Parry.

Crane died on May 15, 1916, at his summer home on Schroon Lake, New York. He was buried in Kensico Cemetery.