Dan Crane

{{Short description|American politician and dentist (1936–2019)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Dan Crane

|image = Dan Crane.png

|caption = Official portrait, {{circa|1979}}

|state = Illinois

|term_start = January 3, 1979

|term_end = January 3, 1985

|preceded = George E. Shipley

|succeeded = Terry L. Bruce

|constituency = {{ushr|IL|22|22nd district}} (1979–1983)
{{ushr|IL|19|19th district}} (1983–1985)

|birth_name = Daniel Bever Crane

|birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

|birth_date = {{birth date|1936|1|10}}

|death_date = {{death date and age|2019|5|28|1936|1|10}}

|death_place = Danville, Illinois, U.S.

|party = Republican

|spouse = Judy Crane (1970–2012)

|children = 6

|relatives = Phil Crane (brother)

|education = Hillsdale College (BA)
Indiana University, Indianapolis (DDS)
University of Michigan

|branch = United States Army

|serviceyears = 1967–1970

|rank = Captain

|battles = Vietnam War

}}

Daniel Bever Crane (January 10, 1936 – May 28, 2019) was an American dentist and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois. A Republican, he served in the House from 1979 to 1985. In 1983, Crane was censured by the House for having sex with a 17-year-old page.

Early life, education, and military service

Crane, a native of Cook County, Illinois, was born on January 10, 1936. Crane attended Chicago public schools. He received his B.A. from Hillsdale College in 1958 and his D.D.S. from Indiana University in 1963. After doing graduate work at the University of Michigan in 1964 and 1965, Crane joined the United States Army in 1967, serving until 1970.{{cite web |url=https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/C000871 |title=Crane, Daniel Bever (1936-2019) |website=bioguide.congress.gov |access-date=September 12, 2023}} Crane's military service included service in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

Career

Crane was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican in 1978. He was re-elected in 1980 and in 1982. During his House tenure, he represented Illinois's 22nd and 19th congressional districts,{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/01/16/dan-crane-goes-to-congress/e386f0b5-1ee7-4585-9580-fd8885794a29/ |title=Dan Crane Goes to Congress |website=WashingtonPost.com |date=January 16, 1979}} respectively. According to The New York Times, in his campaigns, Crane "portrayed himself as a solid, churchgoing, family man, a conservative Republican who set himself apart from what he described as the fast-living 'Washington set'". Crane supported prayer in schools and opposed abortion rights.

On July 14, 1983, the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct recommended that Crane and Rep. Gerry Studds (D-MA) be reprimanded for having engaged in sexual relationships with teenagers. Crane had engaged in sex with a 17-year-old female House page in 1980.{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=Steven V. |date=1983-07-21 |title=HOUSE CENSURES CRANE AND STUDDS FOR SEXUAL RELATIONS WITH PAGES |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/21/us/house-censures-crane-and-studds-for-sexual-relations-with-pages.html |access-date=2023-05-12 |issn=0362-4331}} He acknowledged the accuracy of the charges and supported his own censure.{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/07/16/us/2-congressmen-face-constituents-judgement-on-reports-of-sex-with-pages.html |title=2 Congressman Face Constituents' Judgment on Reports of Sex with Pages |date=July 16, 1983 |work=The New York Times |access-date=December 7, 2016}}{{cite web | url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/07/20/Crane-supports-own-censure/1361427521600/ | title=Crane supports own censure - UPI Archives }} The full House voted to censure Crane on July 20, 1983. Crane was defeated for re-election in 1984{{cite book |last1=Barone |first1=Michael |title=The Almanac of American Politics |year=1987 |page=381}} and returned to the practice of dentistry.

Personal life

Crane was the brother of Philip Crane, also a Republican congressman from Illinois.

Crane married his wife, Judy, in 1970. The couple had six children. Judy Crane died in 2012. Crane died on May 28, 2019, at the age of 83.{{cite web|url=https://obituaries.commercial-news.com/obituary/dr-daniel-crane-1074864917 |website=CommercialNews.com |title=Dr. Daniel B. Crane |date=May 28, 2019}}