Schuyler Colfax Crummer, member of the state tax commission, was born in Jo Daviess county, Illinois, March 7, 1862, the son of James and Martha (Tartt) Crummer. His father, a native of Delaware, born in June, 1824, son of Thomas Crummer, was engaged in mercantile business for a time and later became a farmer on the Illinois farm where his son was born and reared. He died in Belleville, Kan., in October, 1890. His wife, Martha Tartt, was born in Kentucky, in 1826. Her death occurred in 1865 at Elizabeth, Ill., when her son, Shuyler, was but three years of age.

Schuyler Colfax Crummer came to Kansas in 1881 at the age of nineteen, located in Republic county and has continued to make his home at Belleville, in that county, since that time. Previous to his removal to Kansas he had lived in his native Illinois county and had there received an education in the public schools. In Belleville he began immediately to hold positions of public trust, serving first as deputy county clerk and then as deputy county treasurer and, in 1883, accepting a clerkship in one of the banks. He remained in the employ of the bank, holding various responsible positions until 1894, when he became proprietor of Hotel Republic, the leading hostelry at Belleville, and was occupied with its management for six years. Mr. Crummer has always taken an active interest in political affairs and has rendered the Republican party of Kansas much valuable service as a campaign worker, serving as chairman of the Republican county committee of Republic county, in 1900, and in 1906 was made chairman of the Republican state central committee, when he successfully conducted his party to victory in the gubernatorial campaign of Hoch and Harris. On March 1, 1901, he was appointed deputy bank commissioner under Morton Albaugh, and removed with his family to Topeka, where he has since resided, but he regards Belleville as his home and continues to cast his vote there. He resigned from the position of deputy bank commissioner in May, 1906, when he became chairman of the Republican state central committee. In December of the same year after the election of the Republican nominee, Governor Hoch, he was appointed private secretary to the governor and served in this capacity until he resigned, in July, 1907, to accept a membership on the state tax commission.

Mr. Crummer was married, February 6, 1883, to Miss Clara Bowling of Waterville, Kan. They have one child, Lillie Clara, who is now twelve years of age.