Rev. Elijah Richardson Craven was born on March 28, 1824, in Washington, D.C.

He graduated from Princeton University in 1842. He started to study law, but in 1849 he entered the Princeton Theological Seminary. In 1854, he was called to the Newark, New Jersey pastorate, serving the Third Presbyterian Church of Newark for 33 years. He was an active leader in denominational affairs and was regarded as an authority on Presbyterian law. In 1888, he became secretary of the Presbyterian Board of Publications and Sabbath-school Work, with headquarters in Philadelphia, later becoming its secretary emeritus. He edited and contributed to the ecclesiastical press. For 45 years he was a trustee of Princeton University.

In 1852, he married Hannah Tingey Sanderson (1827–1863). In 1867, he married Elizabeth Gertrude Moore (1832–1908). He died on January 5, 1908, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.