Edward Crossley
Encyclopedia
Edward Crossley was an English
businessman, Liberal Party
politician and astronomer
.
He was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Sowerby
from 1885 to 1892. He was also mayor of Halifax
from 1874–1876 and 1884–1885.
He became a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society
in 1867. He built an astronomical observatory
and purchased a 36 inches (914.4 mm) telescope from Andrew Ainslie Common
in 1885, and employed Joseph Gledhill
as an observer. With Gledhill and James Maurice Wilson
(later Canon of Worcester), he wrote Handbook of Double Stars in 1879, which became a standard reference work.
The rainy English weather and the industrial air pollution at his observatory site were rather unsuitable for astronomy, so in 1895 he donated his 36 inches (914.4 mm) telescope to Lick Observatory
in California
. Though extensively modified, it is still in use and is known as the Crossley reflector. This telescope was used by Charles Dillon Perrine
to discover two moon
s of Jupiter
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
businessman, Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician and astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
.
Biography
Edward Crossley was the eldest son of Joseph Crossley J.P., of Broomfield, Halifax, Yorkshire, of the Crossley carpets dynasty. He inherited his family's carpet manufacturing business (John Crossley & Sons) from his father when he was 27. He married Jane Eleanor Baines, third daughter of the Leeds newspaper proprietor and MP Sir Edward Baines.He was the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Sowerby
Sowerby (UK Parliament constituency)
Sowerby was a county constituency centred on the village of Sowerby in Calderdale, West Yorkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
from 1885 to 1892. He was also mayor of Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
from 1874–1876 and 1884–1885.
He became a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society
Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society is a learned society that began as the Astronomical Society of London in 1820 to support astronomical research . It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving its Royal Charter from William IV...
in 1867. He built an astronomical observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
and purchased a 36 inches (914.4 mm) telescope from Andrew Ainslie Common
Andrew Ainslie Common
Andrew Ainslie Common FRS was an English amateur astronomer best known for his pioneering work in astrophotography.-Biography:...
in 1885, and employed Joseph Gledhill
Joseph Gledhill
Joseph Gledhill was a British astronomer. He worked as an assistant at the Bermerside Observatory in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England....
as an observer. With Gledhill and James Maurice Wilson
James Maurice Wilson
Rev. James Maurice Wilson was a British theologian, maths and science teacher, and astronomer.-Early life:...
(later Canon of Worcester), he wrote Handbook of Double Stars in 1879, which became a standard reference work.
The rainy English weather and the industrial air pollution at his observatory site were rather unsuitable for astronomy, so in 1895 he donated his 36 inches (914.4 mm) telescope to Lick Observatory
Lick Observatory
The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory, owned and operated by the University of California. It is situated on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, USA...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Though extensively modified, it is still in use and is known as the Crossley reflector. This telescope was used by Charles Dillon Perrine
Charles Dillon Perrine
Charles Dillon Perrine was an American astronomer living in Argentina.Born in Steubenville, Ohio, a son of Peter and Elizabeth McCauley Perrine, and a descendant of Daniel Perrin, "The Huguenot", he worked at Lick Observatory from 1893 to 1909 and then was director of the Argentine National...
to discover two moon
Natural satellite
A natural satellite or moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called its primary. The two terms are used synonymously for non-artificial satellites of planets, of dwarf planets, and of minor planets....
s of Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
.