Dates

• Existence: 1894(?)-1970

Biographical Note

Charles Wade Crush, Montgomery County judge, historian and civic leader, was born in Christiansburg, Virginia, around 1894; he earned his degree in law from Washington and Lee University in 1913. He later attended the University of Texas and practiced law in Texas for a short time before returning to Christiansburg. During World War II, Crush served with the 314th Machine Gun Battalion. (Crush's interest in military affairs would continue throughout his life, serving as commander of the Virginia Department of the American Legion and as an officer in Company 161 of the Virginia Reserve Militia.) From 1923 to 1935, Crush served as commonwealth's attorney. He later served as Christiansburg postmaster for 10 years and as judge of the county court from 1948 until his retirement in 1963. Crush died on March 18, 1970.

Judge Crush maintained an interest in local history and civic matters throughout his career. He wrote numerous articles on Montgomery County history for the county newspaper and served as chairman of the Montgomery County Jamestown Festival Committee in 1957. As a director of the Montgomery County branch of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, Crush was instrumental in the preservation of Smithfield Plantation. His interest in local history culminated in the publication of his book, The Montgomery County Story, 1776-1957; and is represented in the posthumous work Montgomery County, Virginia: the First Hundred Years (1982). Through the American Legion, Crush is also credited with the founding of Virginia Boys' State.

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