David Alexander Ross, (March 12, 1819 – July 23, 1897) was a lawyer, businessman and political figure in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. He represented Québec-Comté in the

Legislative Assembly of Quebec A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the authority, legal authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with th ...

from 1878 to 1881 as a Liberal. He was born in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

, the son of John Ross. He studied with Daniel Wilkie and at the

Petit Séminaire de Québec Petit is a French-language surname literally meaning "small" or "little". Notable people with the surname include: *Adriana Petit (born 1984), Spanish multidisciplinary artist *Alexis Thérèse Petit (1791–1820), French physicist * Amandine Pet ...

. Ross went on to article as a lawyer, was called to the bar in 1848 and set up practice at Quebec City, in partnership with Andrew Stuart. In 1841, he bought a foundry, using it to manufacture stoves and other items. In 1852, he became partner in a general store. Ross was also an agent for the Scottish Amicable Life Insurance Society and the Imperial Fire Insurance Company of London. He served as director for the Compagnie de Chemin de Fer Urbain Saint-Jean and the Quebec and Lake St. John Railway. In 1872, he married Harriet Ann Valentine, the widow of James Gibb. In 1873, he was named

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

. He was bâtonnier for the Quebec bar in 1874 and 1886. Ross was also lieutenant-colonel in the militia and was president of the

Literary and Historical Society of Quebec The Literary and Historical Society of Quebec (LHSQ) was the first historical society A historical society is non-profit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and promoting the history of a particular place, group of p ...

from 1883 to 1884. With others, he founded the newspaper ''L’Électeur''. He served as attorney general in the Quebec cabinet from 1878 to 1879. In 1887, Ross was named to the

Legislative Council of Quebec The Legislative Council of Quebec (, ) was the unelected upper house of the bicameral legislature in the Canadian province of Quebec from 1867 to 1968. The Legislative Assembly was the elected lower house. The council was composed of 24 memb ...

for Golfe division. He served as president of the Executive Council from 1890 to 1891. Ross died in office at Quebec City at the age of 78.

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* * 1819 births 1897 deaths Politicians from Quebec City Quebec Liberal Party MNAs Quebec Liberal Party MLCs Canadian King's Counsel 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec {{Liberal-Quebec-MNA-stub