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Lewis Crampton

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Lewis Sherman Warren Crampton is an American museum executive who served as president and CEO of the Cox Science Center and Aquarium and the Burpee Museum of Natural History. Prior to working as a museum executive, Crampton was a political figure in Massachusetts and held positions with the United States Environmental Protection Agency. He is currently a member of the Palm Beach, Florida town council.

Early life

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Crampton was raised in Cohasset, Massachusetts.[1] His father, Savington, was a television producer.[2] Crampton was in the United States Army 1959 to 1961, first as a tank commander in West Germany, then was a drill instructor at Fort Lee.[3] He earned a B.A. in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University and a M.A. in East Asian Studies from Harvard University. While at Harvard, he became a leader of the hippie community on Fort Hill. During the summer of 1966, he organized several "be-ins" in the Greater Boston area.[4] He was also chairman of Avatar, an underground newspaper.[5] He also worked as a consultant to the Rand Corporation.[4] In 1969, he married Kathleen Hoyt Ridder, granddaughter of Victor F. Ridder.[2]

Political career

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In 1967, Crampton was a delegate to the Massachusetts Republican convention.[4] In 1971, he worked for Thomas I. Atkins campaign for Mayor of Boston. When Atkins became state Secretary of Communities and Development, Crampton became assistant secretary. In 1973, Crampton he was appointed commissioner of community affairs by Governor Francis Sargent.[5]

In 1978, Crampton was the Republican nominee for Massachusetts Treasurer. He lost to incumbent Robert Q. Crane 60% to 40%.[6] In 1980, Crampton led a collation to remove Massachusetts Republican Party chairman Gordon M. Nelson.[7] On April 8, 1980, Nelson was defeated by State Representative Andrew Natsios 41 votes to 35.[8]

From 1981 to 1983, Crampton was the director of management systems and evaluation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.[3] In 1984, he challenged Gerry E. Studds for the United States House of Representatives seat in Massachusetts's 10th congressional district.[9] From 1989 to 1992, he returned to the EPA as associate administrator for communications. After leaving the EPA, he served as vice president of communications and environmental affairs for Waste Management and vice president of communications for the American Medical Association.[3]

Museum executive

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In 1999, Crampton was appointed interim president of the Chicago Academy of Sciences, which ran the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.[10] From 2001 to 2007, Crampton was president of the Burpee Museum of Natural History.[11] Soon after taking the job, Crampton decided to make a dinosaur the a feature exhibit of the new 46,000-square foot museum.[12] In the summer of 2001, an expedition led by Burpee Museum curator Michael Henderson in the Hell Creek Formation in southeastern Montana led to the discovery of the skeleton of a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex.[13][14] The animal, which was named Jane, was the third most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever found.[12]

In 2010, Crampton became CEO of the Cox Science Center and Aquarium (then known as the South Florida Science Museum).[3] Under his leadership the museum saw attendance increase from 110,000 in 2010 to 378,000 in 2019, went from a having a $120,000 deficit to a surplus in that same time period, and grew from a rundown 14,000-square-foot facility to a 40,000-square-foot building, a 5,000-square-foot education center, and 20,000 square-foot outdoor program area. He stepped down as CEO in 2018 after being elected to the Palm Beach Town Council. He retired as the museum's president on March 27, 2020 but remains on the board of directors.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Mehegan, David (May 6, 1984). "After the Censure". The Boston Globe.
  2. ^ a b "Lewis Crampton to Wed Miss Ridder". The New York Times. August 31, 1969.
  3. ^ a b c d Seltzer, Alexandra (August 1, 2010). "New science museum CEO hopes to join forces with Dreher Park, zoo". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Leland, Timothy (November 21, 1967). "GOP attracting young people". The Boston Globe.
  5. ^ a b Fuerbringer, Jonathan (March 3, 1973). "Crampton replaces Mahoney". The Boston Globe.
  6. ^ Massachusetts Election Statistics 1978.
  7. ^ Robinson, Walter V. (March 6, 1980). "Republican group seeks to oust Mass. chairman". The Boston Globe.
  8. ^ King, Nick (April 9, 1980). "Natsios Ousts Nelson in GOP". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  9. ^ http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html Election Statistics - Office of the Clerk
  10. ^ Mullen, William (January 27, 1999). "Longtime Leader Steps Down from Science Academy". Chicago Tribune.
  11. ^ Rogers, David (August 1, 2010). "Lewis Crampton named interim CEO of South Florida Science Museum". Palm Beach Daily News. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  12. ^ a b Nelander, John (April 18, 1959). "Eben S. Draper Dies". The Milford Daily News.
  13. ^ Currie, PJ; Huru, JH, Sabath, K (2003). "Skull structure and evolution in tyrannosaurid dinosaurs" (PDF). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 48 (2): 227–234. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
  14. ^ Henderson, M (In press). "Nano No More: The death of the pygmy tyrant". In Henderson, M. The origin, systematics, and paleobiology of Tyrannosauridae. Dekalb, Illinois: Northern Illinois University Press.
  15. ^ "Lew Crampton steps down as science center head". Palm Beach Post. April 3, 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
Party political offices
Vacant
Title last held by
Frederick Hannon 		Republican nominee for Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts
1978 		Succeeded by
Mary J. LeClair
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