Born in Holytown, Lanarkshire, Scotland, Crosser emigrated to the United States in 1881 with his parents and settled in Cleveland, Ohio.

He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Commerce (Sixty-fifth Congress).

He served as chairman of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce (Eighty-first and Eighty-second Congresses).

In that race, he was defeated in the primary by Charles Vanik in a field of candidates that also included African-American challenger John Holly, founder of the Negro Future Outlook League.

[1] This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress