Lieutenant Colonel Ross Laird Ellis (June 15, 1915 – March 10, 1983) was a politician and a military man from

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

Military career

Ellis primarily served in the

Canadian Military } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

. He joined in 1932 and rose through the ranks to become head of

The Calgary Highlanders The Calgary Highlanders is a Canadian Army Primary Reserve infantry regiment, headquartered at Mewata Armouries in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The regiment is a part-time reserve unit, under the command of 41 Canadian Brigade Group, itself par ...

. He retired from active service in 1945 and bought a

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automot ...

dealership in

High River High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021. History The community takes ...

, Alberta.

Political career

Ross launched his political career in 1947 by getting elected to the High River town council. He became mayor until 1952 and served that position for 12 years until 1964. Ross was elected as a member for the

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly currently has 87 members, elected first past the post from sing ...

in 1955 as the only member Liberal Conservative Coalition of Alberta for Okotoks-High River he defeated

Alberta Social Credit Party Alberta Social Credit was a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on social credit monetary policy put forward by Clifford Hugh Douglas and on conservative Christian social values. The Canadian social credit movement wa ...

cabinet minister

Ivan Casey Ivan Casey (February 14, 1901 – May 31, 1976) was a provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1944 to 1955, sitting with the Social Credit caucus in government. References ...

in an upset. In 1959 after the Liberal Conservative Coalition fell apart he ran as an Independent and lost to Ernest George Hansell from Social Credit. In 1967 he became Town Manager of Hinton,

. In 1975 he became Head of Tax Research Council. In his final years he moved to

Adams Lake Adams Lake is a large, deep, coldwater lake in British Columbia, Canada; its average depth ranks 6th in the world. The southern end of the lake is approximately north of the town of Chase in the Shuswap Country region of British Columbia. The ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

. In his honor the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary holds an annual lecture series in his name.

External links

Calgary Highlanders biography Centre for Military and Strategic StudiesLegislative Assembly of Alberta Members Listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Ross 1915 births 1983 deaths Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs Mayors of places in Alberta People from Yellowhead County Canadian city managers and chief administrative officers