{{Short description|19th century American politician, 9th Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin }} {{Infobox officeholder |name = James B. Cross |image = James B. Cross.jpg |order = 9th |office = Mayor of Milwaukee |term_start = March 23, 1855 |term_end = April 1858 |predecessor = Byron Kilbourn |successor = William A. Prentiss |state1 = Wisconsin |state_assembly1 = Wisconsin |district1 = Milwaukee 1st |term_start1 = January 10, 1855 |term_end1 = January 9, 1856 |predecessor1 = John Crawford |successor1 = Joshua Stark |term_start2 = January 10, 1849 |term_end2 = January 8, 1851 |predecessor2 = Edward Wunderly |successor2 = William K. Wilson |birth_name = James B. Cross |birth_date = {{birth date|1819|12|17}} |birth_place = Phelps, New York, U.S. |death_date = {{death date and age|1876|2|3|1819|12|17}} |death_place = Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US |resting_place = Forest Home Cemetery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |spouse = {{unbulleted list | {{marriage|Catherine L. Fuller|1856|1857|end=died}} | {{marriage|Eunice G. Osborn|1859}} }} |children = At least 3 |father = |mother = |party = Democratic |profession = lawyer, politician }}
'''James B. Cross''' (December 17, 1819{{Spaced ndash}}February 3, 1876) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 9th mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1855–1858). A Democrat, Cross also represented Milwaukee for three terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, and was the Party's nominee for Governor of Wisconsin in the 1857 election.<ref name="statebar">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=nisCAQAAIAAJ |title= Report of the Proceedings of the Meeting of the State Bar Association of Wisconsin for the years 1878, 1881, and 1885 |publisher= Taylor and Gleason, Book and Job Printer |year= 1905 |location= Madison, Wisconsin |author= State Bar of Wisconsin |author-link= State Bar of Wisconsin |chapter= Biographical Sketches: James B. Cross |page= 223 |access-date= August 14, 2020 }}</ref>
== Background and public office == Cross was born in Phelps, New York, in 1819. In 1841, he moved to Milwaukee to practice law.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS6787 |title= Cross, James B. 1819 - 1876 |website= Wisconsin Historical Society |date= 8 August 2017 |access-date= August 14, 2020}}</ref> Cross served as probate judge in 1848. He then served three terms as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1849, 1850, and 1855, representing Milwaukee County's First Assembly district.<ref>{{cite report|url= https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lrb/blue_book/2007_2008 |title= State of Wisconsin 2007-2008 Blue Book |author= Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau |publisher= State of Wisconsin |location= Madison, Wisconsin |year =2007 |isbn= 978-0-9752820-2-1 |editor1-last= Barish |editor1-first= Lawrence S. |editor2-last= Lemanski |editor2-first= Lynn |chapter-url= https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lrb/blue_book/2007_2008/300_feature.pdf |chapter= Feature Article: Those Who Served: Wisconsin Legislators 1848–2007 |page= 132 |access-date= August 14, 2020 }}</ref>
Cross served for three terms as mayor of Milwaukee from April 1855 to April 1858. The Milwaukee Police Department came into being while Cross was mayor. Before this time, the Milwaukee County Sheriff and his deputy maintained law and order.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.ci.mil.wi.us/display/router.asp?docid=779 |title= History of The Milwaukee Police Department |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060623010852/http://www.ci.mil.wi.us/display/router.asp?docid=779 |website= City of Milwaukee |access-date= August 14, 2020 |archive-date= June 23, 2006 }}</ref> He was a Wisconsin delegate at the Democratic National Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 2, 1856.<ref>{{cite report |url= https://archive.org/stream/officialreportp00greagoog |title= Official Proceedings of the National Democratic Convention held in Cincinnati, June 2–6, 1856 |publisher= Enquirer Company Steam Printing Establishment |year= 1856 |location= Cincinnati, Ohio |page= 9 |access-date= August 14, 2020 }}</ref>
== Run for governor == Cross ran as the Democratic nominee for Governor of Wisconsin in 1857, but he was accused of financial maladministration during his terms as mayor; and his political association with former Governor (and fellow Democrat) William A. Barstow hindered his gubernatorial campaign. He lost to Republican Alexander Randall in a close vote, 44,239 to 44,693.<ref name="bbhistory2015">{{cite report| url= https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lrb/blue_book/2015_2016 |title= State of Wisconsin 2015-2016 Blue Book |year= 2015 |author= Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau |editor-last= Pohlman |editor-first= Julie |isbn= 978-0-9752820-7-6 |publisher= State of Wisconsin |location= Madison, Wisconsin |chapter-url= https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lrb/blue_book/2015_2016/840_history_stats.pdf |chapter= Statistics: History |page= 699 |access-date= August 14, 2020 }}</ref>
== Life outside public office == Cross was said to be deeply disappointed by the outcome of the gubernatorial election—though he came within 500 votes of victory—and mostly retired from political life afterwards.<ref name="memoirs1">{{cite book|url= https://archive.org/details/memoirsofmilwauk01watr |title= Memoirs of Milwaukee County |volume= 1 |editor-link= Jerome Anthony Watrous|editor-last= Watrous |editor-first= Jerome A. |publisher= Western Historical Association |year= 1909 |location= Madison, Wisconsin | pages= 161, 563 |access-date= August 14, 2020 }}</ref>{{rp|161}} In his later years, Cross ran the Juneau National Bank from 1857 to 1862 and then worked in the liquor business from 1867 to 1876. Cross also worked at the post office, rising to head clerk by the time of his death.<ref name="memoirs1"/>{{rp|161}}
He died of a stroke at his home on the morning of February 3, 1876.<ref name="obit">{{cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57367513/mayor-james-cross-obituary/ |title= Death of Hon. James B. Cross |newspaper= Wisconsin State Journal |location= Madison, Wisconsin |date= February 4, 1876 |page= 1 |access-date= August 14, 2020 |via= Newspapers.com }}</ref>
==Personal life and family== Cross was married twice. He was married to Catherine Fuller in 1856, but she died less than a year later. He subsequently married Eunice G. Osborn and had at least three children. One of his children, James Jr., died in a drowning accident at age 8. He was survived by his second wife and two living children.<ref name="obit"/>
==Electoral history==
{{Election box begin | title=Wisconsin Gubernatorial Election, 1857<ref name="bbhistory2015"/>}} | colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| '''General Election, November 3, 1857''' {{Election box winning candidate with party link |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = Alexander Randall |votes = 44,693 |percentage = 49.63% |change = -0.23% }} {{Election box candidate with party link |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = James B. Cross |votes = 44,239 |percentage = 49.12% |change = -0.95% }} {{Election box candidate with party link |party = |candidate = ''Scattering'' |votes = 1,126 |percentage = 1.25% |change = }} {{Election box plurality |votes = 454 |percentage = 0.50% |change = +0.29% }} {{Election box total |votes = 90,058 |percentage = 100.0% |change = +24.05% }} {{Election box hold with party link no swing |winner = Republican Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== {{MilwaukeeCountyMemoirs}}
==External links== * {{Find a Grave|14009510}} * {{Find a Grave|32975919|Catherine T Cross – Spouse}}
{{s-start}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before = William A. Barstow}} {{s-ttl|title = Democratic nominee for Governor of Wisconsin|years=1857}} {{s-aft|after = Harrison Carroll Hobart}} {{s-par|us-wi-hs}} {{s-bef|before = Edward Wunderly}} {{s-ttl|title = Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly {{nowrap|for the Milwaukee 1st district}}|years=January 10, 1849{{spaced ndash}}January 8, 1851}} {{s-aft|after = William K. Wilson}} {{s-bef|before = John Crawford}} {{s-ttl|title = Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly {{nowrap|for the Milwaukee 1st district}}|years=January 10, 1855{{spaced ndash}}January 9, 1856}} {{s-aft|after = Joshua Stark}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before = Byron Kilbourn}} {{s-ttl|title = Mayor of Milwaukee|years=1855{{spaced ndash}}1858}} {{s-aft|after = William A. Prentiss}} {{s-end}} {{Mayors of the City of Milwaukee}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, James B.}} Category:1819 births Category:1876 deaths Category:Mayors of Milwaukee Category:Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Category:People from Phelps, New York Category:American postal officials Category:Wisconsin lawyers Category:19th-century Wisconsin state court judges Category:19th-century American lawyers Category:19th-century mayors of places in Wisconsin Category:19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature