John Kynaston Cross (13 October 1832 – 20 March 1887), was a British cotton spinner and Liberal Party politician. He served as Under-Secretary of State for India under William Gladstone from 1883 to 1885.


John Kynaston Cross
Cross in 1880
Under-Secretary of State for India
In office
16 January 1883 – 9 June 1885
MonarchVictoria
Prime MinisterWilliam Ewart Gladstone
Preceded byViscount Enfield
Succeeded byThe Lord Harris
Personal details
Born13 October 1832 (1832-10-13)
Died20 March 1887 (1887-03-21) (aged 54)
NationalityBritish
Political partyLiberal
SpouseEmily Carlton (d. 1911)

Background

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Cross was the second of the thirteen children of John Cross and his wife Hannah, daughter of Richard Kynaston.[citation needed] He inherited the cotton-spinning firm of Cross and Winkworth, which was at the time one of the largest such firms in Lancashire.[1]

Political career

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Cross entered Parliament for Bolton in 1874, a seat he held until 1885,[2] when he was defeated. In 1883 he was appointed Under-Secretary of State for India in the second Liberal administration of William Ewart Gladstone, a post he retained until the government fell two years later.

Family

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Cross married Emily (née Carlton). They had five sons and three daughters. Cross suffered from diabetes which caused severe depression. He committed suicide by hanging in March 1887, aged 54. His wife died in 1911.

Cross was a collector of the works of Ary Scheffer.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Morris, Edward (1985). "Ary Scheffer and his English Circle". Oud Holland. 99 (4): 294–323. doi:10.1163/187501785X00143. JSTOR 42711190.
  2. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 4)
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Bolton
18741885
With: John Hick 1874–1885
John Pennington Thomasson 1880–1885
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Under-Secretary of State for India
1883–1885
Succeeded by
  NODES
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