Original Spanish-American War Photo & Ephemera Grouping of Joe Crail, 12th Company Signal Corps, and Member of House of Representatives

Original Items. One-of-a-Kind Group. Joseph Steele Crail (December 25, 1877 – March 2, 1938) was an American lawyer, military veteran and politician who served as a United States representative from California from 1927 to 1933. During the Spanish–American War, Crail enlisted as a private in the Twelfth Company, United States Volunteer Signal Corps. He was promoted to corporal and served in the American Army of Occupation in Cuba until its withdrawal.

This is a very interesting photo & ephemera group belonging to Crail, including some great CDV Photos of him and comrades in Havana, Cuba during Occupation, some other great CDVs of Cuba and other locations, and several letters and invitation cards for political events, including White House-issued cards from when Mr. and Mrs. Crail had tea with Mrs. Hoover.

The group includes:

- Four CDVs of four soldiers at Camp Columbia, Havana, Cuba, one in 1898 and three in 1899. Crail is almost certainly the soldier with Corporal chevrons as he held the rank of Corporal. The three 1899 shots show the men wearing 7th Army Corps badges on their M1889 campaign hats. Each is 4 ½ x 7”.
- Several envelopes from the White House with cards reading “Mrs. Crail” or “Mr. Crail” for entry into the White House when they were seeing Mr. or Mrs. Hoover. Some of these have cards reading “Mrs. Hoover will receive Mr. and Mrs. Crail on (date) at (time). These are quite rare to find in their own right. 
- Signed CDV of General Fitzhugh Lee in Havana, Cuba in 1899. Lee was commander of the 7th Army Corps, which Crail served in. 4 ½ x 6 ¼”. In April 1896, Lee was appointed consul-general at Havana by President Cleveland, with duties of a diplomatic and military character added to the usual consular business. In this post, in which he was retained by President William McKinley until 1898, he was the first called upon to deal with a situation of great difficulty, which culminated with the destruction of the warship USS Maine. When war was declared between Spain and the United States, he re-entered the United States Army. He was one of four ex-Confederate Army general officers who were made major generals of United States Volunteers; the others being Matthew Butler, Joseph Wheeler, and Thomas L. Rosser. Fitzhugh Lee commanded the 7th Army Corps but took no part in the actual operations in Cuba. He was military governor of Havana and Pinar del Río in 1899, subsequently commanded the Department of the Missouri, and retired in 1901 as a brigadier general, U.S. Army.
- CDV showing four soldiers with Trapdoor rifles next to a tree, likely stateside.
- 8 CDVs showing locations in Cuba, a group of soldiers next to a wagon in Cuba, the Governor’s Palace, a Cuban fort, the grave of USS Maine victims at a cemetery in Cuba, US or Spanish soldiers in a field, and one showing a soldier on horseback possibly during the WWI era. 
- Invitation from Turkish Ambassador to Crail for reception celebrating Anniversary of Proclamation of Turkish Republic. 
- 1896 invitation from Queen to La Fiesta Ball at Hazards Pavilion in Los Angeles. This was issued to J.N. Taggert. 
- Invitation from Ambassador to Chile for reception. 
- Several letters to and from Crail’s wife from their hotel room at The Mayflower hotel in DC.
- Unrelated newspaper articles.

A very interesting set of photos and ephemera, ready for further research and display.

CRAIL, Joe, a Representative from California; born in Fairfield, Jefferson County, Iowa, December 25, 1877; attended the public schools and was graduated from Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, in 1898; during the Spanish-American War enlisted as a private in the Twelfth Company, United States Volunteer Signal Corps; promoted to corporal and served in the American Army of Occupation in Cuba until its withdrawal; studied law at Iowa College of Law, Des Moines, Iowa; was admitted to the bar in 1903 and commenced practice in Fairfield, Iowa; moved to California in 1913, settled in Los Angeles, and practiced law until elected to Congress; served as chairman of the Republican State central committee for southern California 1918-1920; elected as a Republican to the Seventieth, Seventy-first, and Seventy-second Congresses (March 4, 1927-March 3, 1933); was not a candidate for renomination in 1932, but was an unsuccessful candidate for nomination as United States Senator; resumed the practice of law; also engaged in banking; died in Los Angeles, Calif., March 2, 1938; interment in Inglewood Park Mausoleum, Inglewood, Calif.