In 1854, Crawford was elected as a Democrat to the 34th United States Congress to represent Georgia's 2nd congressional district. He was reelected to two additional terms in the seat (35th and 36th Congresses), and his congressional service spanned from March 4, 1855, until his resignation on January 23, 1861, with Georgia having seceded the Union on January 22.
Martin J. Crawford organized the 3rd Regiment, Georgia Cavalry in May 1862 to support the Confederate States Army, operating with the Army of Tennessee. Under Crawford's command the 3rd Regiment saw combat, fighting in Kentucky with General Wheeler. The next campaign at New Haven saw most of the regiment taken prisoner—the retreating contingent fought at the Battle of Murfreesboro—then reconstituted under Colonel J.J. Morrison. The Georgia 3rd surrendered on April 26, 1865, with the Army of Tennessee—surrendering field officers were Colonels Martin J. Crawford, Richard E. Kennon, and Robert Thompson; Lieutenant Colonel James T. Thornton; and Majors Daniel F. Booton and Hiram H. Johnson.[2]
After the war, Crawford became judge of the superior court of the Chattahoochee circuit on October 1, 1875, to fill a vacancy. He was reappointed in 1877 and served on that bench until he resigned on February 9, 1880. The next day, he was appointed to a vacant position on the Supreme Court of Georgia and served on that court until his death in Columbus. He was buried in that city's Linwood Cemetery.
