Theodore Lamont Cross II (February 12, 1924 – February 28, 2010) was an American lawyer,

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...

activist, publisher, investor, and bird photographer.

Biography

Cross served as a naval officer in the Pacific War of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. After the Navy, he obtained an English degree from Amherst College and a law degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1950. After working as an attorney, Cross became an entrepreneur, investing in publications. Cross worked professionally in the publishing industry. In 1983, he and partners bought ''Investment Dealer's Digest'' and sold it three years later for approximately 40 times the purchase price. He received widespread attention in 1987 for his attempt to acquire

Harper & Row Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City. History J. & J. Harper (1817–1833) James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...

(now

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News C ...

) for a reported $190 million, but was outbid by

Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...

. In the mid-1980s, Cross acquired 53% of the

Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan is an American business consulting firm. It offers market research and analysis, growth strategy consulting, and corporate training. It has about 45 offices in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe; the principal office is in S ...

stock Cross was the founder and editor of ''

The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education ''The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education'' is a former academic journal, now an online magazine, for African Americans working in academia in the United States. The journal was established as a quarterly in 1993 by Theodore Cross, a "champ ...

'' and founder of the '' Business and Society Review''. Cross took a leave of absence from his job working as general counsel for Sheraton hotels and participated in the voting rights marches of 1965. Cross later served as an adviser to the

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...

and

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

administrations. Cross published two books of bird photography: ''Birds of the Sea, Shore, and Tundra'' (1989) and ''Waterbirds'' (2009). ''Waterbirds'' in particular received stellar reviews. E.O. Wilson commented that a photo in ''Waterbirds'' "is a candidate for the most beautiful illustration of birds in existence, photo or painting." Cross was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communi ...

in 1995. Cross also founded Birders United, a group formed in 2004 to oppose President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

's reelection on habitat destruction grounds, but who later expanded its role to a general political watchdog group for bird habitats.

Works

*''Black Capitalism'' (1969) *''The Black Power Imperative'' (1984) *''Birds of the Sea, Shore, and Tundra'' (1989) *''Waterbirds'' (2009)

References

External links

Birders United
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, Theodore 1924 births 2010 deaths American civil rights activists American photographers Harvard Law School alumni Amherst College alumni American publishers (people) 20th-century American lawyers United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy officers Members of the American Philosophical Society