Background
Crooks was born in West Flamboro, Ontario, the son of James Crooks.
Crooks was born in West Flamboro, Ontario, the son of James Crooks.
He studied at Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto. During his time in Toronto, he studied law and was called to the bar in 1851.
Crooks was an Modern Language Association for the Ontario Liberal Party
During the early 1860s, he successfully appealed a lower court decision against the Commercial Bank of Canada before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in England. In 1863, he was named Queen"s Counsel. Near the end of his life, he suffered from problems with his physical and mental health and was forced to retire from public life.
He died in Hartford, Connecticut.
He served as Attorney General from 1871 to 1872 and provincial treasurer from 1872 to 1877. Crooks played a major role in developing the 1876 liquor licence act, also known as the Crooks Acting, which attempted to control the sale of alcohol within the province.
He also served as the first Minister of Education in Ontario, appointed in 1876, after the retirement of Review Doctor Egerton Ryerson, who was Chief Superintendent.
