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 | June 26, 1861 |
| 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 | edit source]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 | edit source]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 | edit source]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 | edit source]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 | edit source]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 | edit source]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.
A.E. Cross' original house in Calgary, located in the community of Inglewood, is the location of Rouge Restaurant.
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ "Alfred Ernest Cross". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
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External links
[edit | edit source]
- 1861 births
- 1932 deaths
- Politicians from Montreal
- Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)
- 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories
- Canadian cattlemen
- 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories
- Burials at Union Cemetery (Calgary)