Wilbur L. Cross (1862–1948)

For students of academic history and Connecticut political history, a very interesting book. The first half to 3/5ths of the book is Dr. Cross' own account of growing up in rural Connecticut, and gradually rising through the ranks of academia until he reached the position of Provost of Yale University. This part of the book is very chatty and entertaining, and indeed shows a lot of charm. The latter part of the book, which details his account of his tenure (during the Great Depression) as Governor of Connecticut has its interesting points, though it can be a bit elusive. He never really comes to grips with just how the Democratic Party settled on him as a candidate, and there's a whiff of sour grapes in his account of his defeat in 1938. There's also a bit of (somewhat justifiable) sour grapes when it comes to his dealings with the legislature. Still, a worthy book and a good read.… (meer)

3616. Connecticut Yankee: An Autobiography, by Wilbur L. Cross (read 15 Aug 2002) This is a 1943 book by a Yale professor who served as Governor of Connecticut from 1930 to 1938, and I thought it was a good read, though some of the account of long-ago Connecticut matters could not be too riveting to me, who has no connection to the state. I was struck by his quote of a contemporary of Queen Elizabeth I who said "She hath built herself a bath wherein she doth bathe herself once a month whether she require it or no." This confirms a statement my father told me many years ago, though my father was not an Elizabethan scholar.… (meer)