John Crosby (conductor)

John O’Hea Crosby (12 July 1926, Bronxville, New York – 15 December 2002, Rancho Mirage, California) was an American musician, conductor and arts administrator. He is most celebrated as the founding general director of The Santa Fe Opera, a company he oversaw for 43 years.

Early life

A bout of asthma interrupted Crosby’s early studies in Connecticut; this caused him to attend the Los Alamos Ranch School in New Mexico for a year. It was Crosby’s first introduction to the West and, specifically, to the Santa Fe area. After graduating from The Hotchkiss School, Crosby served in the US Army for two years between 1944 to 1946, with time spent in Europe and some with the 18th Regimental Band handling piano, violin, trombone and double bass.

Attending Yale as an undergraduate soon followed; with it came consideration of several future professions, including law and becoming an airline pilot. But at Yale he studied composition with Paul Hindemith and created musical arrangements for musical productions. He graduated with a degree in music in 1950.

John Crosby

John Crosby may refer to:

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John Crosby (died 1476)

Sir John Crosby (died 1476) was a London merchant and alderman, diplomat and Member of Parliament. A Yorkist during the Wars of the Roses, he was knighted for his service in resisting an attack on London in 1471 by Lancastrian forces under Thomas Fauconberg. Crosby Hall, the mansion he built at Bishopsgate, was later moved to Chelsea, where it still survives.

Family

John Crosby was the son of John Crosby of London, from whom he inherited the manor of Hanworth, which had previously been held by his grandfather. His mother's name is unknown. In his will he mentions a cousin, Peter Christmas.

Career

As a youth Crosby was apprenticed to John Young, a member of the Worshipful Company of Grocers. He was made free of the Company in 1454, and became a wool merchant. By 1460 he was dealing on a large scale, and in 1462 was described as 'of London, grocer, Merchant of the Staple of Calais'. In 1465 his former master, John Young, accused Crosby of 'counterfeiting his seal and making a false indenture', and the quarrel between the two had to be submitted to arbitration.

John Crosby (General Mills)

John Crosby (November 1, 1829 – December 29, 1888) was a businessman and early partner in the Washburn-Crosby Company (the predecessor of General Mills).

Life and career

Crosby was born in Hampden, Maine. After attending school, he became involved in the family's paper mill business as well as an iron foundry and machine shop in nearby Bangor, Maine. While working in Bangor he married Olive Muzzy, daughter of Franklin Muzzy. Crosby moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1877 and became involved in the city's milling industry. He purchased an interest in the Washburn "B" Mill and developed a business partnership with Cadwallader C. Washburn, forming the Washburn-Crosby Company. Crosby oversaw the company's expansion and remained one of the company's partners until his death in 1888.

References