| Alfred Ernest Cross | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories | |
| In office 1898–1902 |
|
| Constituency | East Calgary |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 26, 1861 Montreal, Quebec |
| Died | March 10, 1932 (aged 70) Montreal, Quebec |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Rothney MacLeod |
| Residence | 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.
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Born in Montreal, Cross was the oldest of seven children.[1] He trained as a veterinary sugeon.
Cross moved to Alberta in 1884 to work at a ranch near what is now Cochrane, Alberta[2].
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. 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].
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].
In 1898, Cross entered politics, and was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for East Calgary. In 1899 he married Helen Rothney Macleod, the daughter of Colonel James F. Macleod, the lawman who gave Calgary its name[2].
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].
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[3]
Cross died in 1932. The following have been dedicated in his name: