NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID
RG6256.AM: Cecil and Ellen Craft
Papers: 1942-1978
North Platte, Lincoln County, Neb.: State legislators
Size: 0.75 cu.ft.; 1 box
BACKGROUND NOTE
Cecil Craft: Born at Gate, Oklahoma, on May 12, 1909, Cecil Irving Craft attended public schools in Oklahoma, followed by the Colorado School of Mines and the University of Oklahoma. Craft married Ellen Erickson on September 18, 1933, at Oklahoma City. The Crafts moved to North Platte, Nebraska, where Ellen had grown up. Cecil was the part owner of Craft-Kist Bottling Company in North Platte. He served in the Air Force during World War II and retired as a lieutenant colonel.
Cecil Craft was first elected to the Nebraska Legislature in 1960 and was re-elected in 1962. In 1964 he won re-election to a four-year term under the staggered switch from two to four year terms for legislators. He headed the Legislature’s Public Works Committee during the 1965 session. Craft died of a heart attack in Lincoln, Nebraska, on March 1, 1966. He is buried in Fort McPherson National Cemetery at Maxwell, Nebraska.
Ellen (Erickson) Craft: Born in North Platte, Nebraska, on November 5, 1904, Ellen Erickson graduated from North Platte High School and attended the University of Nebraska. She married Cecil Craft in Oklahoma City on September 18, 1933. The Crafts moved back to North Platte and Ellen ran the family soft drink bottling company while Cecil was serving overseas during World War II.
Ellen was appointed to the Nebraska Legislature in 1966 to fill out the term of her late husband. She was elected to two more terms and helped establish the Vocational Training Center and the Nebraskaland Days Arena in North Platte. Ellen (Erickson) Craft died in North Platte, Nebraska, on June 21, 1996. She is buried in Fort McPherson National Cemetery at Maxwell, Nebraska.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
This collection consists of one box of papers relating to Cecil and Ellen Craft and their service in the Nebraska Legislature in the 1960s and 1970s. Also included are materials relating to Cecil Craft’s military service during World War II. The collection is currently unprocessed.
INVENTORY
Box 1 – Papers of Cecil and Ellen Craft
Subject headings:
Craft, Cecil Irving, 1909-1966
Craft, Ellen (Erickson), 1904-1996
Nebraska. Legislature
United States. Air Force
Legislators
Lincoln County (Neb.)
Military service
North Platte (Neb.)
Politicians
Politics and government
World War, 1939-1945
TMM 01-05-2026
