Theodore "Ted" Frankton Craver

                                                                                                                THEODORE FRANKTON CRAVER 

                                                                                                             JANUARY 22,1929 – MARCH 28, 2025

 Theodore Frankton Craver passed away on March 28, 2025. He was predeceased by his father Augustus Edward Craver, mother Amelia Benko Craver and his son Edward Frederick Earnest Craver. Ted was born in Genoa, Italy and passed away peacefully in his home on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Ted was a graduate of James Monroe High School in Fredericksburg, Virginia. After serving in the Air Force during the Korean War, Ted attended St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas where he received his undergraduate and law degrees and was class Valedictorian.

Ted’s legal career began at the Department of Justice, then at Hogan & Hartson in Washington D.C., and ended after nearly 4 decades as Sr. VP at Litton Industries in Beverly Hills, California. He and his team led cases involving 29 oil companies, Vons and Shopping Bag grocery stores, Southwest Bell, Honeywell, XEROX, AT&T, Triumph-Adler, ITT, Teledyne, and others, involving patent infringement, antitrust matters, and environmental law. The AT&T case won in the district court with a jury verdict in Litton’s favor in the amount of $340 million. Following close behind was a win in the case against Honeywell which brought in $440 million to Litton. Both of these cases were the largest settlements in the history of antitrust litigation at that time. At one point he was involved in 96 environmental cases concurrently. As a result, Ted’s office at Litton was renamed the Litton Profit Center. 

Family came first for Ted and his wife Clair. They never missed a celebration, graduation, or special event even if it meant traveling across the country several times in one year. For thirty years they hosted biannual Thanksgiving celebrations in a variety of locations as their family grew from six grandchildren to nine great grandchildren. When he wasn’t with family Ted enjoyed his hobbies of amateur “ham” radio (licensed for 85 years!) hunting, skeet shooting, boating on the Potomac River, fly fishing, good food (especially oysters), wine, all kinds of music, an ice cream cone any time of day, and traveling around the world with his beloved Clair. Ted and Clair spent summers at their home in Highlands, North Carolina where he enjoyed the beauty of the mountains as well as supporting the arts and culture of the area. His gifts of love and attention to all of his family will always be cherished. Ted will be remembered as a man of honesty, deep caring and a profound love of his country. His epic dinner blessings will be sorely missed. 

Ted and Clair have been strong supporters of Mount Vernon, Colonial Williamsburg, the Teachers Institute at Colonial Williamsburg, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Mountpelier, Lowcountry Legal Volunteers, and the St. Mary’s University School of Law including the Theodore F. Craver Law Endowed Scholarship. 

Ted was a founding member of the South Carolina Yacht Club and a longtime member of the Church of the Cross in Bluffton. 

Ted leaves behind his wife of nearly 34 years St. Clair Craver “Clair”, and the children from his first marriage to Frances E. Earnest – Cynthia Ann Holmes (Dennis) of Napa, CA, Theodore F. Craver, Jr. (Marian) of Pacific Palisades, CA, and Molly Craver Peck (Robert) of Napa, CA. He also leaves his six grandchildren, nine great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews who all loved him dearly as well as his Cavalier King Charles “Honey Bun” who gave him many hours of joy and peace. 

Services will be held at Church of the Cross, Historic Campus, 110 Calhoun Street, Bluffton, South Carolina on Tuesday, April 8 at 11:00 a.m. Reception to follow.