William Ross (speaker) explained

William Ross (died September 5, 1830) was an American lawyer and politician.

Life

He was the son of Robert Ross, a Scottish tanner who settled at Rossville, a hamlet in Newburgh, New York. William Ross studied law and gained admission to the bar in 1801, and practiced at Newburgh, New York. He married first Mary S. McLean (1787–1812), and then Caroline Middlebrook of Connecticut.

He was a member from Orange County of the New York State Assembly in 1808, 1809, and from 1811 to 1814. In February 1811, he was elected Speaker after the previously elected Speaker Nathan Sanford could not attend the session because of ill health.

From 1815 to 1822, he was a member of the New York State Senate from the Middle District, and was a member of the Council of Appointment in 1816 and 1819.

Sources