Jonathan Ross (April 30, 1826February 23, 1905) was an American politician, lawyer and judge from

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. He served as chief justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The court ...

(1890–1899) and briefly as a

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

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. Ross attended the public schools and St. Johnsbury Academy. He graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

in 1851 and was principal of the Chelsea and Craftsbury Academies from 1851 to 1856. 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 Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

; he was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1856.

Career

Ross was Treasurer of Passumpsic Savings Bank from 1858 to 1868. He practiced law in St. Johnsbury until 1870. After being

State's attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

for Caledonia County from 1862 to 1863, he was appointed a member of the State

board of education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

, holding that office from 1866 to 1870. From 1865 to 1867, Ross was a member of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

and he was a

state senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

in 1870. He served on the Vermont Council of Censors in 1869. He was judge of the

from 1870 to 1890 and chief justice of Vermont from 1890 to 1899. In December 1898, U.S. Senator Justin S. Morrill died. 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. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the United States Senate Committee to Examine Branches of the Civil Service ( Fifty-sixth Congress). He was not an active candidate for reelection in 1900. In October 1900, Ross was elected president of the Vermont Bar Association, and he served a one-year term. 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.

Death and burial

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

Family

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

References

External links

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 Politics of the United States, American political figures and List of United States political families, political families, along with other informa ...

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Govtrack US Congress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Jonathan 1826 births 1905 deaths Chief justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Dartmouth College alumni Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Republican Party United States senators from Vermont Vermont lawyers State's attorneys in Vermont Republican Party Vermont state senators Politicians from Caledonia County, Vermont 19th-century American lawyers Accidental deaths in Vermont Railway accident deaths in the United States 19th-century Vermont state court judges 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly