John Kynaston Cross (13 October 1832 – 20 March 1887), was a British cotton spinner and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician. He served as

Under-Secretary of State for India This is a list of Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and Permanent Under-Secretaries of State at the India Office during the period of British rule between 1858 and 1937 for India(and Burma by extension), and for India and Burma from 193 ...

under William Gladstone from 1883 to 1885.

Background

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

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

Political career

Cross entered Parliament for

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...

in 1874, a seat he held until 1885, when he was defeated. In 1883 he was appointed

in the second Liberal administration of

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

, a post he retained until the government fell two years later.

Family

Cross married Emily (née Carlton). They had five sons and three daughters. Cross suffered from

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

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 Ary Scheffer (10 February 179515 June 1858) was a Dutch-French Romantic painter. He was known mostly for his works based on literature, with paintings based on the works of Dante, Goethe, and Lord Byron, as well as religious subjects. He was als ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, John Kynaston 1832 births 1887 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885 British politicians who committed suicide