Born in Gardiner, Maine on November 15, 1902, Burton M. Cross graduated from Cony High School in 1920 and became a florist in Augusta in 1926.
In 1933 he won a seat on the Augusta Common Council and four years later in 1937 moved up to the Board of Aldermen, presiding over both bodies.
Elected to the Maine House in 1941 he served two terms before moving up to the Senate in 1945. He became majority floor leader in 1947 and President of the Senate in 1949 to 1952.
In 1952 he won the Republican nomination for Governor and went on to defeat Democrat James Oliver in the general election by a substantial margin.
Although exonerated in a liquor scandal during his term, Cross was vulnerable in his reelection bid in 1954 and was defeated by Democratic challenger, Edmund S. Muskie, by over 20,000 votes.
Cross never sought public office again but returned to private life engaging in the insurance and stockbrokerage business until his retirment in 1971.