John Michael Cross (1 February 1859 – 12 April 1934) was a

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

and member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

Biography

Cross was born in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

, England to parents Thomas Cross and his wife Elizabeth (née Burnett) and was educated in England. After his arrival in Australia he took up journalism and worked at several newspapers including the

Brisbane Telegraph ''The Telegraph'' was an evening newspaper published in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was first published on 1 October 1872 and its final edition appeared on 5 February 1988. In its day it was recognised as one of the best news pictorial n ...

, the Northern Argus in

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite. The Scottish- ...

, the

Toowoomba Chronicle ''The Toowoomba Chronicle'' is a daily newspaper serving Toowoomba, the Lockyer Valley and Darling Downs regional areas in Queensland, Australia. As of 2016, the newspaper is owned by News Corp Australia, and forms part of their Regional Medi ...

, the

Maryborough Chronicle Maryborough may refer to: * Maryborough, Queensland, Australia ** Maryborough Base Hospital * Maryborough, Victoria, Australia ** Maryborough railway station, Victoria * Portlaoise Portlaoise ( ), or Port Laoise (), is the county town of C ...

, and the

Gympie Miner ''The Gympie Miner'' was a newspaper published in Gympie, Queensland, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian conti ...

. He was also the editor of the Peoples' Newspaper in Rockhampton. After his time in parliament he continued as a journalist and Hansard reporter in Brisbane. He was a councillor of the Royal Society of St George and a member of the Esoteric Lodge of Masonry. On the 23 Aug 1884 he married Margaret Bell (died 1905)Family history research
— Queensland Government births, deaths, marriages, and divorces. Retrieved 12 March 2016. in Brisbane and together had two sons. He died in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

in 1934 and was buried in the

South Brisbane Cemetery South Brisbane Cemetery, also known as Dutton Park Cemetery, is a heritage-listed cemetery at 21 Fairfield Road and Annerley Road, Dutton Park, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, adjacent to the Brisbane River. It was built from 1870 to 1 ...

.Deceased Search
— Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 13 March 2016.

Political career

At the

1893 Queensland colonial election Elections were held in the Colony of Queensland between 18 April 1893 and 25 May 1893 to elect the members of the colony’s Legislative Assembly of Queensland, Legislative Assembly. This election was an early use of contingent voting in a gov ...

s, Cross, for the Labour Party, defeated the sitting member, John Stevenson, for the seat of Clermont. He remained the member for six years, being defeated by Vincent Lesina in

1899 Events January * January 1 ** Spanish rule formally ends in Cuba with the cession of Spanish sovereignty to the U.S., concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.''The American Monthly Review of Reviews'' (February 1899), p ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, John Michael Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 1859 births 1934 deaths Burials at South Brisbane Cemetery British emigrants to colonial Australia