George Crawford

George Washington Crawford (June 4, 1861 – April 6, 1935) was a prominent American businessman of the late 19th and early 20th century who was a founder and executive with Columbia Gas & Electric. Crawford was the father of the late New York socialite Sunny von Bülow, who spent 25 years in a coma, and whose husband Claus Von Bulow was famously charged, convicted, and then acquitted of her attempted murder. Early life Crawford was born on June 4, 1861. He was the son of Elizabeth Wilson (1833–1906) and Ebenezer "Eben" Crawford (1821–1897), a farmer from Emlenton, Venango County, Pennsylvania. He was a descendant of Scottish immigrants. He was educated in public schools and at the Eastman Business College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Career According to local Emlenton history records, Eben and his brothers traveled west during the California gold rush but "returned home penniless." The brothers reportedly tried a variety of business ventures, originally focusing on a pipe line business. He then entered the well supply business in Bolivar, New York, and in 1886, along with the United States Pipe Line Company, he obtained a right of way from Bradford oil field to the eastern seaboard. Thereafter, he formed the New Martinsville Gas Company in West Virginia and maintained an interest in the Tri-State National Gas Company.