Ernest Howard Crosby (1856-1907)

He gradated from Columbia College and became a lawyer. He was accepted an invitation to run for the New York State Assembly, which he won, and championed the cause of fighting child labor, gaining a reputation as a socialist and political activist. His in-laws used their influence with President Harrison to have his talents put to good use somewhere less close to home: he was appointed a Judge on the Mixed Tribunals in Alexandria, Egypt. Witnessing the poverty around him, this only served to further fuel his socialist views and while there he read Tolstoy's "My Life" which so affected him he embarked upon a voyage to spend time with him in Warsaw and Moscow. They became firm friends. He returned to New York and announced his opposition to imperialism and military power, and planned to spend the rest of his life away from society while working to bring about a more peaceful order and began to entertain Marxists to the horror of his wife and mother-in-law. At Grasmere, he pursued his passion for writing.