Jonathan Ross (politician) explained

Jonathan Ross
Image Name:Johnathan Ross Senator.jpg
Width:200px
Jr/Sr1:United States Senator
State1:Vermont
Party:Republican
Alma Mater:Dartmouth College
Term1:January 11, 1899  - October 18, 1900
Appointed1:Edward Curtis Smith
Preceded1:Justin S. Morrill
Succeeded1:William P. Dillingham
Office2:Chairman of the Vermont Board of Railroad Commissioners
Term Start2:1900
Term End2:1902
Preceded2:David J. Foster
Succeeded2:Fuller C. Smith
Office3:President of the Vermont Bar Association
Term Start3:1900
Term End3:1901
Preceded3:Charles Hial Darling
Succeeded3:John Young
Office4:Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
Term Start4:1890
Term End4:1899
Preceded4:Homer E. Royce
Succeeded4:Russell S. Taft
Office5:Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
Term Start5:1870
Term End5:1890
Preceded5:Benjamin H. Steele
Succeeded5:Laforrest H. Thompson
Office6:Member of the Vermont Senate from Caledonia County
Term Start6:1870
Term End6:1870
Preceded6:Harley M. Hall
Horace Fairbanks
Alongside6:John M. Martin
Succeeded6:Calvin Morrill
Charles Rogers Jr.
Office7:Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from St. Johnsbury
Term Start7:1865
Term End7:1867
Preceded7:Gates B. Bullard
Succeeded7:Emerson Hall
Birth Date:30 April 1826
Birth Place:Waterford, Vermont, U.S.
Death Place:St. Johnsbury, Vermont, U.S.
Spouse:Eliza Ann Carpenter Ross
Helen Daggert Ross
Profession:Politician, lawyer, judge, principal
Signature:Signature of Jonathan Ross (1826–1905).png

Jonathan Ross (April 30, 1826February 23, 1905) was an American politician, lawyer and judge from Vermont. He served as chief justice of the Vermont Supreme Court (1890–1899) and briefly as a United States Senator from Vermont (1899–1900).

Early life

Ross was born in Waterford, Vermont, on April 30, 1826, the son of Royal Ross and Eliza (Mason) Ross.[1] Ross attended the public schools and St. Johnsbury Academy.[1] He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1851 and was principal of the Chelsea and Craftsbury Academies from 1851 to 1856.[2] He studied law in the Chelsea office of former Congressman William Hebard, and later with Charles Davis of Danville and William A. Fletcher of Michigan; he was admitted to the bar in 1856.[3]

Career

Ross was Treasurer of Passumpsic Savings Bank from 1858 to 1868.[1] He practiced law in St. Johnsbury until 1870.[1] After being State's attorney for Caledonia County from 1862 to 1863, he was appointed a member of the State board of education, holding that office from 1866 to 1870.[1]

From 1865 to 1867, Ross was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives and he was a state senator in 1870.[1] He served on the Vermont Council of Censors in 1869.[1] He was judge of the Vermont Supreme Court from 1870 to 1890 and chief justice of Vermont from 1890 to 1899.[4] [5]

In December 1898, U.S. Senator Justin S. Morrill died.[6] Governor Edward Curtis Smith offered to appoint Benjamin F. Fifield to the vacancy, and Fifield tentatively accepted. Several days later, Fifield declined, and Smith then offered the appointment to Ross, who accepted. He served from January 11, 1899, to October 18, 1900, when a successor was elected.[7] While in the Senate, he was chairman of the United States Senate Committee to Examine Branches of the Civil Service (Fifty-sixth Congress).[8] He was not an active candidate for reelection in 1900.[1] In October 1900, Ross was elected president of the Vermont Bar Association, and he served a one-year term.[9] In November 1900, he succeeded David J. Foster as chairman of the state board of railroad commissioners, and he served until being succeeded by Fuller C. Smith in November 1902.[10]

Death and burial

Ross retired to his home in St. Johnsbury, where he resided until his death.[1] He died on February 23, 1905, from injuries sustained when his sleigh was struck by a train a few days earlier.[1] According to published accounts, Ross and his wife were stopped at a crossing while a train passed by.[1] Their horse became frightened and dashed between two train cars, demolishing the sleigh and killing Mrs. Ross.[1] The train crew transported Ross to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a broken hip and other injuries, and remained until his death.[11] Ross is interred at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.[1]

Family

Ross married Eliza Ann Carpenter (1826–1886) on November 22, 1852.[1] They were the parents of eight children, including Caroline C., Eliza M., Helen M., Julia, Martha E., Edith Helen, Edward H., and Jonathan C.[12] In 1887, he married Helen Daggert, and they remained married until her death.[1]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: March 1, 1905 . Last Week's Accident . . St. Johnsbury, VT . 4 . Newspapers.com.
  2. Web site: Jonathan ROSS. Ancestry.com . December 30, 2012.
  3. Web site: Ross, Jonathan, (1826 - 1905) . Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. December 30, 2012 .
  4. Book: Forbes, Charles S.. The Vermonter, Volumes 4-5. 1898. 108.
  5. Web site: Jonathan Ross (Senator). The Political Graveyard. 29 December 2012.
  6. News: January 12, 1899 . Judge Ross Appointed by Gov. Smith as Successor to the Late Senator Morrill . . St. Albans, Vermont . 2022-05-26 . . 1 . .
  7. Web site: Jonathan Ross (senator). The Political Graveyard. 28 December 2012.
  8. Web site: Jonathan Ross (Senator) . Govtrack US Congress. 28 December 2012.
  9. News: October 26, 1900 . Annual Meeting of the Vermont Bar Association . Vermont Phoenix . Brattleboro, VT . 5 . Newspapers.com.
  10. Web site: Jonathan Ross (Senator). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. 28 December 2012.
  11. News: Ex-Senator Jonathan Ross. The New York Times . St. Johnsbury, Vermont . 7 . 2022-05-26.
  12. Book: Cutter, William Richard. New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation, Volume 2. 1914. Lewis Historical Publishing Company. 9 621.