Manfred Cross Politician

Manfred Douglas Cross, AM (born 12 August 1929) is a retired Australian politician. Born in Brisbane, he was educated at various state primary schools including Rainworth State School before attending Brisbane State High School. He then went to the University of Queensland, after which he became a public servant. In 1961, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor member for Brisbane. He held the seat until 1975, when he was defeated by Liberal challenger Peter Johnson amid Labor's meltdown in Queensland that year; Labor was cut down to only one seat in the state. Although Cross led early on, on the third count a National Country candidate's preferences flowed overwhelmingly to Johnson. The National Country Party had begun contesting seats in the Brisbane area in order to broaden its base. He narrowly lost to Johnson in a 1977 rematch, but regained the seat in 1980. He remained in the House until his retirement in 1990.