Hugh W. Cross
Hugh W. Cross | |
|---|---|
| File:Hugh W. Cross, circa 1945 (3x4).jpg Official portait, circa 1945 | |
| Chair of the Interstate Commerce Commission | |
| In office 1955–1956 | |
| Member of the Interstate Commerce Commission | |
| In office 1950–1957 | |
| Appointed by | Harry S. Truman |
| Lieutenant Governor of Illinois | |
| In office 1941–1949 | |
| Governor | Dwight H. Green |
| Preceded by | John Henry Stelle |
| Succeeded by | Sherwood Dixon |
| Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives | |
| In office 1939 | |
| Preceded by | Louie E. Lewis |
| Succeeded by | Elmer Jacob Schnackenberg |
| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives | |
| In office 1933–1941 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 24, 1896 Jerseyville, Illinois |
| Died | October 15, 1972 (aged 76) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | University of Illinois College of Law |
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Hugh Ware Cross (August 24, 1896 – October 15, 1972) was an American politician, lawyer, farmer, and businessman who served as chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission, lieutenant governor of Illinois, and speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.
Early life
Born in Jerseyville, Illinois, Cross received his law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law. He practiced law in Jerseyville, Illinois, owned a farm, and was president of the Jersey County Abstract and Title Company.[1]
Illinois House of Representatives (1933–41)
Cross (a Republican) served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1933 until 1941. He was speaker of the house in 1939.[1]
Lieutenant governor of Illinois (1941–49)
From 1941 until 1949, Cross served as lieutenant governor of Illinois.[1] He was elected to the office in 1940, defeating Democratic nominee Louie E. Lewis. He was re-elected in 1944 The governor during Cross's tenure was fellow Republican Dwight H. Green, who had been elected in a separate coinciding elections in both 1940 and 1944. Cross did not seek re-election in 1948, and left office in January 1949.
Interstate Commerce Commission
In 1949, Cross was nominated by President Harry S. Truman to serve on the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC).[2] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 14, 1950 to a term expiring in 1957.[3][4] In mid-1955, Cross became chair of the commission (chairmanship rotated between commission members).[2] In 1955, the U.S. Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations investigated Cross for a possible conflict of interest matter. Possible impropriety was alleged in Cross' provision of testimony as a character witness for shipping magnate John Keeshin. Cross was accused of providing the testimony in exchange for a job offer from Keeshin, an allegation that Cross denied. While the matter he had testified in support of Keeshin on was intrastate (therefore not subject to ICC oversight), some senators nevertheless found it potentially untoward enough to investigate.[2]
Later career
Cross returned to his law practice and farm in Jerseyville, Illinois.[1][5]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 'American Legislative Leaders in the Midwest, 1911 to 1994,' Nancy Weatherly Sharp and James Roger Sharp, Greenwood Publishing Group: 1997, Biographical Sketch of Hugh Ware Cross, pg. 95
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Investigations: Star-Crossed". Time Magazine. 5 December 1955. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ↑ Nominations to Interstate Commerce Commission. Hearings before the Commission on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, United States Senate, Eighty-First Congress, First and Second Sessions, on Nomination of Hugh W. Cross of Illinois ... Richard F. Mitchell, o. N.p., 1950. Print.
- ↑ "Senate Confirms Cross for I.C.C." The New York Times. December 15, 1950. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ↑ 'Illinois Blue Book 1947-1948,' Biographical Sketch of Hugh W, Cross, pg. 84
- Template:Succession box: 'before' parameter includes the word 'vacant'
- 1896 births
- 1972 deaths
- People from Jerseyville, Illinois
- University of Illinois College of Law alumni
- Businesspeople from Illinois
- Farmers from Illinois
- Illinois lawyers
- Members of the Illinois House of Representatives
- Speakers of the Illinois House of Representatives
- Lieutenant governors of Illinois
- People of the Interstate Commerce Commission
- 20th-century American politicians
- 20th-century American businesspeople
- 20th-century American lawyers