R. A. Cross, 1st Viscount Cross
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| In office 21 February 1874 – 23 April 1880 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | Benjamin Disraeli |
| Preceded by | Robert Lowe |
| Succeeded by | Sir William Vernon Harcourt |
| In office 24 June 1885 – 1 February 1886 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | The Marquess of Salisbury |
| Preceded by | Sir William Vernon Harcourt |
| Succeeded by | Hugh Childers |
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| Born | 30 May 1823 Red Scar, Lancashire |
| Died | 8 January 1914 |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Georgiana Lyon (d. 1907) |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
Richard Assheton Cross, 1st Viscount Cross, GCB, GCSI, PC, FRS (30 May 1823 – 8 January 1914), known before his elevation to the peerage as R. A. Cross, was a British statesman and Conservative politician. He notably served as Home Secretary between 1874 and 1880 and 1885 and 1886.
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[edit] Background and education
Cross was born in Red Scar, near Preston, Lancashire, the son of William Cross (1771-1827) and his wife Ellen, daughter of Edward Chaffers. He was educated at the University of Cambridge and was called to the Bar, Inner Temple, in 1849.
[edit] Political career
Cross entered Parliament as one of two representatives for Preston in 1857, a seat he held until 1862. He was out of Parliament for the next year, but in 1868 he was successfully elected for Lancashire South West, and continued to represent this constituency until his elevation to the peerage in 1886. Cross first came to prominence as Home Secretary in Disraeli's second government (1874–1880), and retained this office in Lord Salisbury's first government (1885–1886). The latter year he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Cross, of Broughton-in-Furness in the County of Lancaster. He then moved over to the India Office (1886–1892). Lord Cross was very briefly Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in Salisbury's third government (1895–1902) before being elevated to the sinecure post Lord Privy Seal. In 1898 he chaired the Joint Select Committee on Electrical Energy (Generating Stations and Supply), which recommended granting compulsory purchase powers for the building of power stations. He retired in 1900.
[edit] Family
Lord Cross married Georgiana, daughter of Thomas Lyon, in 1852. His eldest son the Hon. William Henry Cross represented Liverpool in Parliament. Lady Cross died in January 1907. Lord Cross survived her by seven years and died in January 1914, aged 90. He was succeeded in the viscountcy by his grandson, Richard.
[edit] References
- BOPCRIS database entry on Cross Committee
- Archival material relating to R. A. Cross, 1st Viscount Cross listed at the UK National Register of Archives
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
- www.thepeerage.com
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