James Hamilton Ross (May 12, 1856 – December 14, 1932) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician, the third

commissioner of Yukon The commissioner of Yukon (french: Commissaire du Yukon) is the representative of the Government of Canada in the Canadian federal territory of Yukon. The commissioner is appointed by the federal government and, in contrast to the governor gene ...

, and an ardent defender of territorial rights. He is also considered to be the first resident of

Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan Moose Jaw is the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina, Saskatchewan, Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are k ...

Early life

Ross was born in 1856 to John Edgar Ross and Christina Graeme (Hathern) Ross. On January 2, 1882, Ross, a western Canadian rancher born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

, and four other men were scouting the location for the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

divisional point In Canada, a divisional point (or division point) is a local operational headquarters for a railway. Divisional points are significant in railway maintenance of way operations. Especially historically, they could be the location of facilities and in ...

when they became the first residents of the modern-day town of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Four days later, Ross established a homestead on the site, becoming the town's first permanent resident.

Territorial political career

Soon after, Ross became an active participant in territorial government. He continuously campaigned for

responsible government Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive bran ...

and was active in the negotiations to create the provinces of

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 ...

and

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. Ross sat in the

Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, or Legislative Council of the Northwest Territories (with Northwest hyphenated as North-West until 1906), is the legislature and the seat of government of Northwest Territories in Canada. It is a uni ...

between 1883 and 1901, and was

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

from 1891 to 1894 and a member of the Executive Council between 1895 and 1897. Ross also served as treasurer and then became the Commissioner of the Yukon Territory on March 11, 1901, becoming the first Yukon Commissioner to reside in

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...

Dawson City Dawson City, officially the City of Dawson, is a town in the Canadian territory of Yukon. It is inseparably linked to the Klondike Gold Rush (1896–99). Its population was 1,577 as of the 2021 census, making it the second-largest town in Yuko ...

Personal life and family

On August 15, 1901 his wife and youngest son, William, were lost in the sinking of the SS ''Islander'' near Juneau. Another of his daughters, Jane Ross, married

Alistair Fraser Alistair Fraser (March 15, 1885 – January 24, 1964) was the 21st Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, from 1952 to 1958. Fraser was born in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia."Alistair Fraser, MC winner served in vice-regal post", ''Globe and Mail'' ...

, the son of Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia

Duncan Cameron Fraser Duncan Cameron Fraser (1 October 1845 – 27 September 1910) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, judge, and the ninth Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. He was born in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, the son of Alexander Fraser and Ann Chishol ...

, who later went on to become Lieutenant-Governor in his own right. His son, James Hamilton Ross, a chemist at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

, developed and patented a new method of synthesizing

RDX RDX (abbreviation of "Research Department eXplosive") or hexogen, among other names, is an organic compound with the formula (O2N2CH2)3. It is a white solid without smell or taste, widely used as an explosive. Chemically, it is classified as a ...

used by the Allies in the Second World War. He was awarded the

Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...

as well as Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

Federal political career

Ross ran for a seat to the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

in a by-election held on December 2, 1902. He became the Yukon's first

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

defeating Yukon territorial councilor Joseph Clarke. He did not visit the Yukon Territory during the campaign and incurred no election expenses other than his deposit. Ross was appointed to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

in 1904. Between 1904 and 1905, Ross represented Regina, Northwest Territories and after 1905 until his death, he continued to represent Regina after the creation of the province of

. From 1902 until his death, Ross was a member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

caucus. James Hamilton Ross died in 1932 in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

References

External links

James Hamilton Ross
Encyclopedia of Canada

at www.collectionscanada.ca * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, James Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Yukon Liberal Party of Canada MPs Canadian senators from the Northwest Territories Canadian senators from Saskatchewan Canadian people of Scottish descent Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories 1856 births 1932 deaths Politicians from London, Ontario Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)