Robert Tripp Ross (June 4, 1903 – October 1, 1981) was an American politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. He served in two non-consecutive terms to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

and an assistant

Secretary of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

Early life

Ross was born in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

Beaufort County, North Carolina Beaufort County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 44,652. Its county seat is Washington, North Carolina, Washington. The co ...

and attended the public schools there, subsequently attending

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU or NEU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by the Boston Young Men's Christian Association in 1898 as an all-male instit ...

. Later, he tried several professions including real estate investment in Florida, advertising sales in Florida and Texas, and auto sales in North Carolina. He moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1929, and engaged as a

druggist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in order to dispense them safely to the pu ...

. He took a job at a pharmacy in Queens where he became the manager. By 1946, he was an assistant to the president of a drug company.

Political career

In 1946, Ross ran for a seat in Congress from

New York's 5th congressional district New York's 5th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives, represented by United States Democratic Party, Democrat Gregory Meeks. The district is located in Queens. A plurality of the distr ...

. Previously a Democratic district, Ross won election as one of 55 Republicans who swept to victory in the

1946 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1946. Africa * French legislative election, November 1946 (French Equatorial Africa) * French legislative election, November 1946 (Guinea) * 1946–1947 Moyen-Congo Representative Council election * ...

. His time in Congress was short, as he was defeated by T. Vincent Quinn in the 1948 elections and again in

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...

. From 1949 until 1952, he was a director of sales and marketing for the Southern Athletic Company, which was owned by his brother-in-law. At the end of 1951, Quinn resigned his seat in Congress to become the

Queens County District Attorney The District Attorney of Queens County is the elected district attorney for Queens County in New York State, coterminous with the New York City borough of Queens. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws. ...

and Ross won the February 1952 special election to replace him. Ross was defeated in the general election in 1952 to Lester Holtzman.

Defense Department

After his defeat, Ross became the Washington liaison for the

New York Republican State Committee The New York Republican State Committee, established in 1855, is the New York (state), New York State affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party (GOP). The party has headquarters in Albany, New York, Albany ...

. Later, he worked for

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs, or ASD(LA), is the head of the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs, responsible for providing support to the United States Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Defen ...

, Fred A. Seaton. When Seaton left to work as an assistant to President

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

in 1955, Ross was appointed to Seaton’s position. Ross’ initial months in the post were tumultuous. Ross was directed by

, Charles E. Wilson to ensure that all releases made a “constructive contribution” to national defense. Congressional committees and reporters charged him with censorship when he made significant edits to speeches by staffers, service secretaries and the

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, which advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and ...

. A congressional subcommittee found that the Department of Defense’s policies were the most restrictive of any agency. He also incorrectly confirmed a 1956 report that three senators, including John L. McClellan, had requested the

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

to send a pair of planes to Europe for them. The Defense department ultimately apologized to the senators for the slip-up. In January 1957, Ross took a leave of absence in response to a congressional investigation into possible conflicts of interest involving a clothing business run by his wife and owned by his brother-in-law. The subcommittee, headed by Senator McClellan, looked into an $835,150 contract for Army trousers that was awarded to Wynn Enterprises. The Senators also looked into an allegation that Ross set up a meeting for his brother-in-law with an army officer to ostensibly discuss clothes procured under another defense contract. The committee also looked into information that Ross was still affiliated with the company, despite assurances that he severed all ties. Ross denied all the allegations and an investigation by the Defense Department found no violations of the law and no improper use of influence. Nevertheless, Ross concluded that the charges would affect his ability to serve and resigned in February 1957.

Later career

After leaving the Defense Department, he worked as an assistant

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

works commissioner in

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

from March 1957 to January 1958, and then as vice president of the Merchandising Apparel Company from 1959 to 1968.

Personal life

Ross married twice. He had two sons, Robert, Jr. and Ford, from his first marriage, which ended in divorce. His second wife was Claire (Wynn) Ross. He resided in

Jackson Heights Jackson Heights is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the borough of Queens in New York City. Jackson Heights is neighbored by North Corona to the east, Elmhurst to the south, Woodside to the west, and today northern Astoria ( Ditm ...

until his death there on October 1, 1981; interment was at Oakdale Cemetery in Washington, North Carolina.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Robert 1903 births 1981 deaths People from Jackson Heights, Queens People from Washington, North Carolina Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 20th-century New York (state) politicians 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives