My Grandfather Oliver Harlan Cross and the Ku Klux Klan

This book is about Oliver Harlan Cross's life and his relationship with the author. It is also about the Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s, when the Klan was at the height of its power in Texas, and the historical connection between the Klan and today's MAGA movement. Cross was born in 1868 in Alabama, shortly after the first Klan was created. He served in Congress during the Great Depression, a transformative period in American history. He lived to witness the election of John Kennedy as President of the United States of America. Many of the issues he confronted during his career remain relevant today.

This short book is about Cross's life, his relationship with his grandson, and the historical connection between the Klan and today's MAGA movement. Oliver Harlan Cross was born in 1868 in Alabama, shortly after the first Ku Klux Klan was created. He became the criminal prosecuting attorney in Waco, Texas, when the town was known as "Six-Shooter Junction." Later, in 1922, he became a spokesman for the McLennan County Citizens League in opposition to the Klan. He ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in 1928. He won the Democratic al White primary (only Whites could vote) and served in Congress for six years during the Great Depression of 1929, a transformative time in American politics. He lived to witness the election of John Kennedy to the Presidency of the United States of America.

Clinton Cross graduated from the Pomona College and the University of Texas School of Law. He served on the original staff of the first legal aid program in El Paso, Texas. He was the first Assistant Attorney General in the Texas Attorney General's first regional office in the state. He was the first Director of Texas Legal Servies Center, located in Austin, Texas. Papers regarding his legal career can be found in the Texas Access to Justice Library at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Thereafter, he returned to El Paso where he worked as an Assistant El Paso County Attorney. The Texas Senate passed a Resolution upon his retirement in 2015 honoring him for his public service work.