Wilbur Cross

Wilbur L. Cross (1862--1948), was an American literary critic who served as the 71st Governor of Connecticut from 1931 to 1939. He graduated from Yale University and served as principal of Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut for a short time around 1885 before returning to Yale as a graduate student, earning a Ph.D. in English literature in 1889. Cross became a well-known literary critic. Along with C.F. Tucker Brooke, Cross was the editor of the Yale Shakespeare; he also edited the Yale Review for almost 30 years. He wrote several books, including Life and Times of Laurence Sterne and The History of Henry Fielding.