Chicago bonds salesman and investment banker, long time partner in the investment banking and brokerage firm of Hornblower & Weeks.
Louis J. Cross was born around 1898 in Illinois, the son of English immigrant John R. Cross and Mary B. Cross. He attended school and the Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He was associated for most of his career with the investment banking and brokerage firm of Hornblower & Weeks, starting at Paul H. Davis & Co. in 1929, which then merged with Hornblower in 1953. He was partner in the firm from 1939 to 1969. Cross was also associated with several other companies, serving on boards or in a consulting capacities, including the Jefferson Electric Company, the Jessop Steel Co., and the River Forest State Bank. Cross was a devoted Catholic and attended mass several times a week. In addition, he belonged to numerous social clubs including The Attic, The Chicago Yacht Club, The Saddle and Cycle Club, and the Germania Club. Cross married Gladys Kendall in 1921 and they had two children, Louis R., born in 1923, and Margery, born in 1927. Gladys passed away suddenly in 1963, and in 1964 Cross married Frances Seymour Kluck. Both of his wives converted to Catholicism upon their marriages. Cross lived most of his life in River Forest, Illinois, but spent time each winter in Palm Desert, California. He eventually bought a retirement home in Palm Desert, and it was there he died of a heart attack in 1975 at the age of 77.
From the description of Louis J. Cross diaries, 1932-1974. (Newberry Library). WorldCat record id: 692439279
