Joseph Cross

Title: District Court
Appointed by: Theodore Roosevelt
Judicial Tenure: 1905 - 1913
Born: December 29, 1843
Birth Place: near Morristown, NJ
Died: October 29, 1913

Born near Morristown, New Jersey, Cross attended Princeton College, receiving an A.B. in 1865 and an A.M. in 1868. He attended Columbia Law School, but read law to enter the profession. He had a private practice in Elizabeth, New Jersey, from 1869-1905. During that period, he was also a Judge of the state District Court of Elizabeth from 1888-91, and a member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1893-95, serving as its Speaker in 1895, a member of the New Jersey State Senate from 1899 to 1905, serving as President of the senate in 1905.

On March 13, 1905, Cross was nominated by President Theodore Roosevelt to a new seat on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey created by 33 Stat. 987. Cross was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 17, 1905, and received his commission that day. He served on the court until his death.