James Ross (Pennsylvania politician)

James Ross
United States Senator from Pennsylvania
In office April 24, 1794 – March 4, 1803
Preceded by	Albert Gallatin
Succeeded by	Samuel Maclay
Personal details
Born	July 12, 1762 Delta, Pennsylvania
Died	November 27, 1847 (aged 85) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Political party	Federalist

James Ross (July 12, 1762 – November 27, 1847) was a lawyer and senator from Pennsylvania from 1794 to 1803.

Biography

Born near Delta, York County, Pennsylvania, he was the son of Joseph and Jane (Graham) Ross. At eighteen, after having received a classical education, he moved to Canonsburg, Pennsylvania and taught at what would become Washington and Jefferson College. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1784 focusing on land law. A Federalist, he was a member of the convention that drafted a new constitution for Pennsylvania in 1789-1790.

President George Washington appointed him to negotiate with the rebels of the Whiskey Rebellion, successfully defusing the situation without violence. On April 1, 1794, the Pennsylvania legislature elected him to the United States Senate to replace Albert Gallatin, who was removed by legislature. There, he authored a new law for the public lands and fought President Thomas Jefferson's administration. He was elected to a second term in the Senate in 1797.

He ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Pennsylvania in 1799, 1802, and 1808.

During the late 1810s he is listed as the Pittsburgh City Council President.

He died in Allegheny, which is now part of Pittsburgh. Ross Street in Downtown Pittsburgh (bordering the Pittsburgh City-County Building and the Allegheny County Courthouse), the Pittsburgh suburb of Ross Township, and Ross County, Ohio, are named in his honor.

References

• United States Congress. "James Ross (id: R000448)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

External links

• James Ross at Find a Grave