Alfred Ernest Cross | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories | |
| In office 1898–1902 | |
| Constituency | East Calgary |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 26, 1861 Montreal, Canada East |
| Died | March 10, 1932 (aged 70) Alberta, Canada |
| Spouse |
Helen Rothney MacLeod
(m. 1899) |
| Residence(s) | 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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
- ^ "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. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013.
- ^ "A.E. Cross family fonds". Glenbow Museum. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. 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.
- ^ "Calgary Board of Education - Schools and Areas". Archived from the original on 2009-02-03. Retrieved 2009-03-10.