Donald Roe Ross (June 8, 1922 – December 18, 2013) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. Cou ...

of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Education and career

Born in Orleans,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, Ross was in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

as an Air Corps Major from 1942 to 1946. He received a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 1948. He was in private practice in Lexington, Nebraska from 1948 to 1953. He was a Republican Executive Committeeman in the state of Nebraska from 1952 to 1953 when he became Mayor of Lexington. Ross was the

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for the District of Nebraska from 1953 to 1956 and was in private practice in

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

, Nebraska from 1956 to 1970. He was general counsel for the Republican Party of Nebraska from 1956 to 1958. He served as a Committeeman from Nebraska to the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...

from 1958 to 1970 and was Vice Chairman for his delegation from 1965 to 1970.

Federal judicial service

On November 30, 1970, Ross was nominated by President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated by Judge

Harry Blackmun Harry Andrew Blackmun (November 12, 1908 – March 4, 1999) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1970 to 1994. Appointed by Republican President Richard Nixon, Blac ...

. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on December 11, 1970, and received his commission on December 12, 1970. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on June 13, 1987, and died following an illness at his home in Omaha on December 18, 2013.

References

Sources

* 1922 births 2013 deaths United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Mayors of places in Nebraska Nebraska Republicans People from Lexington, Nebraska People from Harlan County, Nebraska United States Army Air Forces officers United States court of appeals judges appointed by Richard Nixon 20th-century American judges University of Nebraska College of Law alumni {{US-federal-judge-stub