Alfred Ernest Cross
Alfred Ernest Cross | |
---|---|
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Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories | |
In office 1898–1902 | |
Constituency | East Calgary |
Personal details | |
Born | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | June 26, 1861
Died | March 10, 1932 Alberta, Canada | (aged 70)
Nationality | Canadian |
Spouse(s) | Helen Rothney MacLeod
(m. 1899) |
Residence | Alberta, Canada |
Occupation | politician, rancher, brewer |
Alfred Ernest Cross (June 26, 1861 – March 10, 1932) was a Canadian politician, rancher and brewer, known as one of the Big Four who founded the Calgary Stampede in 1912.
Early life[]
Born in Montreal, Cross was the oldest of seven children.[1] He trained as a veterinary surgeon.
Cross moved to Alberta in 1884 to work at a ranch near what is now Cochrane, Alberta[2] owned by Matthew Henry Cochrane.[3]
In 1899 he married Helen Rothney Macleod (1878-1959), the daughter of North-west Mounted Police Commissioner Colonel James Macleod, who gave Calgary its name.[4]
Business[]
By 1886 Cross owned his own ranch, the A7 Ranche, located near what is now Nanton, Alberta.[2]
Cross returned to Montreal for hospital treatment for appendicitis.[when?] He returned to Calgary in 1891 holding a diploma that he had been trained as a brewer's apprentice[2] and established the Calgary Brewing and Malting Company, the first brewery in what was then the Northwest Territories.[2]
Ranchmen's Club[]
That same year Calgary's oldest and most exclusive club, the Ranchmen's Club, was established; and A.E. Cross was a founding member.[2]
Politics[]
In 1898, Cross entered politics, and was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for East Calgary.
Cross was active in community affairs, serving as a director and president of Calgary General Hospital, as president of the Alberta Exhibition Association, and as president of the Calgary Board of Trade (now Calgary Chamber of Commerce) in 1909.[2]
Calgary Stampede[]
In the summer of 1912, Cross, along with Patrick Burns, George Lane, and Archie McLean ("The Big Four") put up the combined amount of $100,000 to finance the first Calgary Stampede held in September 1912[5]
Legacy[]
Cross died in 1932. The following have been dedicated in his name:
- A.E. Cross Junior High School located in Calgary, Alberta.[6]
- The Big Four Building at the Stampede Grounds in Calgary, Alberta.
References[]
- ^ "Alfred Ernest Cross". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
- ^ a b c d e f Brennan, Brian (2001). Alberta Originals: Stories of Albertans Who Made a Difference. Fifth House. pp. 2. ISBN 1-894004-76-0.
- ^ Morrison, Elsie (1950). Calgary, 1875-1950 : A souvenir of Calgary's seventy-fifth anniversary. Calgary: Calgary Publishing Co. p. 132.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "A.E. Cross family fonds". Glenbow Museum. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
- ^ Brennan, Brian (2001). Alberta Originals: Stories of Albertans Who Made a Difference. Fifth House. pp. 22. ISBN 1-894004-76-0.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-02-03. Retrieved 2009-03-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
External links[]
- 1861 births
- 1932 deaths
- People from Montreal
- Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)
- Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories
- Canadian cattlemen