R. A. Cross, 1st Viscount Cross facts for kids

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Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
In office 29 June 1895 – 12 November 1900
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	The Marquess of Salisbury
Preceded by	The Lord Tweedmouth
Succeeded by	The Marquess of Salisbury
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office 29 June 1895 – 4 July 1895
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	The Marquess of Salisbury
Preceded by	The Lord Tweedmouth
Succeeded by	The Lord James of Hereford
Secretary of State for India
In office 3 August 1886 – 11 August 1892
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	The Marquess of Salisbury
Preceded by	The Earl of Kimberley
Succeeded by	The Earl of Kimberley
Secretary of State for the Home Department
In office 24 June 1885 – 1 February 1886
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	The Marquess of Salisbury
Preceded by	Sir William Harcourt
Succeeded by	Hugh Childers
In office 21 February 1874 – 23 April 1880
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	Benjamin Disraeli
Preceded by	Robert Lowe
Succeeded by	Sir William Harcourt
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 19 August 1886 – 8 January 1914 Hereditary peerage
Preceded by	Peerage created
Succeeded by	The 2nd Viscount Cross
Member of Parliament for Newton
In office 18 December 1885 – 19 August 1886
Preceded by	Constituency created
Succeeded by	Thomas Legh
Member of Parliament for South West Lancashire
In office 7 December 1868 – 18 December 1885 Serving with Charles Turner and John Ireland Blackburne
Preceded by	Constituency created
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Member of Parliament for Preston
In office 24 April 1857 – 4 April 1862 Serving with Charles Grenfell
Preceded by	Sir George Strickland, 7th Baronet
Succeeded by	Sir Thomas Fermor-Hesketh
Personal details
Born	(1823-05-30)30 May 1823 Red Scar, Lancashire
Died	8 January 1914(1914-01-08) (aged 90)
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Georgiana Lyon (d. 1907)
Alma mater	University of Cambridge

Richard Assheton Cross, 1st Viscount Cross (born May 30, 1823 – died January 8, 1914) was an important British politician. He was a member of the Conservative Party. He served as the Home Secretary twice, from 1874 to 1880 and again from 1885 to 1886. Before he became a Viscount, people knew him as R. A. Cross.

Early Life and Education

Richard Assheton Cross was born in Red Scar, a place near Preston in Lancashire, England. His father was William Cross. Richard went to Rugby School and then to Trinity College, Cambridge, which is a famous university. While at Cambridge, he was the president of the Cambridge Union in 1845. After university, he became a lawyer in 1849.

A Career in Politics

Cross began his political journey by becoming a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1857. He represented the area of Preston until 1862. For a short time, he was not in Parliament. During this period, he worked at a bank called Parr's Bank and became its chairman in 1870.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In 1868, Cross was elected as an MP again, this time for South West Lancashire. He won by a lot of votes, even beating Gladstone, who was a very famous politician. He continued to represent this area until 1886.

Serving as Home Secretary

Cross became well-known when he was appointed Home Secretary in 1874. This was a big job, and he got it without having held any smaller government roles first. He served under Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. He was Home Secretary again from 1885 to 1886 under Lord Salisbury.

Important Government Roles

In 1886, he was given the special title of Viscount Cross. This meant he became a member of the House of Lords. After this, he became the Secretary of State for India. In this role, he helped pass the Indian Councils Act 1892. This law changed how India was governed.

Later, in 1895, Lord Cross briefly held another role as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Soon after, he became the Lord Privy Seal. This was a high-ranking position, but it didn't require a lot of daily work. In 1898, he led a special committee that looked into how to build more power stations for electricity. He retired from politics in 1900.

Work with Railways

Besides his political work, Lord Cross was also involved with railways. In 1884, he joined the board of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. He stayed a director of this company, which later became the Great Central Railway, until he passed away. He was known for often asking, "Where is the money to come from?" during meetings. In 1909, a special train locomotive was named after him to honor his service.

Family Life

Lord Cross married Georgiana Lyon in 1852. They had a son named William Cross, who also became a Member of Parliament. Lady Cross passed away in January 1907. Lord Cross lived for seven more years and died in January 1914, at the age of 90. His grandson, Richard Assheton Cross, inherited his title.

Images for kids

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  R. A. Cross caricatured by Ape (Carlo Pellegrini) in 1874.

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  A coronet, a type of crown, worn by a British Viscount.

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  The coat of arms for the Cross family.