His father, James Sr., was a judge of the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas and was a recognized figure within the city's Democratic Party hierarchy.
He joined the Navy, and served as a senior line officer aboard the battleship USS Iowa.
A political unknown, his appointment was attributed to his relationship with Fifth District Congressman and Philadelphia Democratic Party Chairman Bill Green Jr.[1] He was elected to the job in his own right in the 1961 election and developed a reputation as someone unafraid to take on judges, including his predecessor, Victor H. Blanc.
He ran for a judgeship in 1969 and lost, but was appointed in March 1970 to a seat on the newly created Commonwealth Court by Republican Governor Raymond P.
[2] Upon his death in 1992, which followed a brief illness, Crumlish was survived by his wife, Rosemary, two sons, three daughters, five brothers, a sister and 11 grandchildren.