Charles Benjamin Ross (December 27, 1876 – March 31, 1946) was an American politician who served as the first
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...
-born
governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
from 1931 to 1937.
Early life and education
One of eight children, Ross was born in the
Idaho Territory
The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho.
History
1860s
The territory ...
in 1876 near
Parma
Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
to cattleman John M. Ross and his wife Jeanette. He left school after sixth grade, but at age eighteen, he decided to continue his education and graduated from Portland Commercial College.
In 1897, he returned to the family ranch and co-managed it with his brother, W. H. Ross.
Career
Ross began his political career in
Canyon County, serving as county commissioner from 1915 to 1921. He moved east to
Bannock County
Bannock County is a county in the southeastern part of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 87,018, making it the sixth-most populous county in Idaho. The county seat and largest city is Pocatello. The county was established in 189 ...
and served as mayor of
Pocatello
Pocatello () is the county seat of and the largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, containing the city's airport. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metro ...
from 1922 to 1930, and won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in
1928
Events January
* January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material.
* January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...
. Although Ross nearly tripled the Democratic vote total of his predecessor Asher Wilson, thanks to the recent demise of the Idaho
Progressive Party, he was defeated by the
Republican incumbent
H. C. Baldridge.
Ross won the nomination again in
1930
Events
January
* January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...
, winning the open seat against Republican John McMurray. His wife, Edna, was a natural politician and a great asset to Ross. She was often referred to as "Governor Edna" while he held that office. He was reelected in
1932
Events January
* January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel.
* January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
and
1934
Events
January–February
* January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established.
* January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...
, becoming the first in Idaho to win three elections for governor. During his tenure, Ross was viewed as the chief proponent of
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
's
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
policies in Idaho. Even so, his own beliefs more closely mirrored the agrarian
populism
Populism is a essentially contested concept, contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the "common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently a ...
of earlier Democrats such as William Jennings Bryan.
The first sales tax in Idaho was enacted in 1935 with Ross' support. A famous line used against Ross by sales tax opponents was "A Penny for Benny." A driver's license law was instituted and legislation was initiated which would make liquor sales regulated through state distributors.
Instead of pursuing a fourth term, Ross ran for List of United States senators from Idaho, U.S. Senate in 1936 but was defeated its Dean of the United States Senate, dean, Republican William Borah. Opponents also used the following poem against him: "Benny got our penny/Benny got our goat/We'll get our Benny/When we go to vote." The sales tax was repealed after a statewide referendum in 1936, but later returned in 1965.
Ross ran for governor a fifth time in 1938 Idaho gubernatorial election, 1938, defeating incumbent Barzilla W. Clark, Barzilla Clark in the primary, but lost to state Republican Party (United States), Republican Party chairman C. A. Bottolfsen in the general election. After the loss, "Cowboy Ben" retired from public life. He is referred to as "Founding Father" of the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation and was looked to as a champion of the Idaho Democratic Party.
Personal life
Ross married Edna Reavis on February 14, 1900, and together they raised four foster children.
In declining health during his last year, Ross died in a Boise, Idaho, Boise hospital in 1946 at age 69,
[ and is interred at Parma Cemetery in Parma.
]
See also
* List of mayors of Pocatello, Idaho
References
External links
*
University of Idaho Library'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, C. Ben
1876 births
1946 deaths
20th-century mayors of places in Idaho
Democratic Party governors of Idaho
County commissioners in Idaho
Mayors of places in Idaho
American Congregationalists
People from Parma, Idaho