Jonathan Ross (April 30, 1826February 23, 1905) was a nineteenth-century politician, lawyer and judge from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. He served as chief justice of the Vermont Supreme Court and as

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from Vermont.

Early life

Ross was born in

Waterford, Vermont Waterford is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,268 at the 2020 census. History The town was formed by the Vermont charter on November 8, 1780, and was originally called Littleton, but the name was chang ...

on April 30, 1826, the son of Royal Ross and Eliza (Mason) Ross. Ross attended the public schools and

St. Johnsbury Academy St. Johnsbury Academy (SJA) is an independent, private, coeducational, non-profit boarding and day school located in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, in the United States. The academy enrolls students in grades 9-12. It was founded by Thaddeus Fairbanks ...

. He graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

in 1851 and was principal of the

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

and Craftsbury Academies from 1851 to 1856. He studied law in the Chelsea office of former Congressman

William Hebard William Hebard (November 29, 1800October 20, 1875) was an American attorney and politician from Vermont. He served in several elected offices, and was most notable for representing Vermont in the United States House of Representatives for two te ...

, and later with Charles Davis of Danville and

William A. Fletcher William Alan Fletcher (born June 6, 1945) is a Senior status, Senior United States federal judge, United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Appointed by President Bill Clinton, Fletcher was confirme ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

; he was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1856.

Career

Ross was Treasurer of Passumpsic Savings Bank from 1858 to 1868. He practiced law in St. Johnsbury until 1870. After being

State's attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

for Caledonia County from 1862 to 1863, he was appointed a member of the State

board of education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

, holding that office from 1866 to 1870. From 1865 to 1867, Ross was a member of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

and he was a

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

in 1870. He served on the

Vermont Council of Censors The Constitution of the State of Vermont is the fundamental body of law of the U.S. state of Vermont, describing and framing its government. It was adopted in 1793 following Vermont's admission to the Union in 1791 and is largely based upon the ...

in 1869. He was judge of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

from 1870 to 1890 and chief justice of Vermont from 1890 to 1899. In December 1898, U.S. Senator Justin S. Morrill died. Governor

Edward Curtis Smith Edward Curtis Smith (January 5, 1854 – April 6, 1935) was an American attorney, businessman, and politician from Vermont. A Republican, he was most notable for his service as the 47th governor of Vermont from 1898 to 1900. Early life Edward Cur ...

offered to appoint

Benjamin F. Fifield Benjamin F. Fifield (November 18, 1832 – July 23, 1918) was a Vermont attorney. He served as United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the District of Vermont, District of Vermont (1869–1880) and chief counsel of the C ...

to the vacancy, and Fifield tentatively accepted. Several days later, Fifield declined, and Smith then offered the appointment to Ross, who accepted. He served from January 11, 1899, to October 18, 1900, when a successor was elected. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the United States Senate Committee to Examine Branches of the Civil Service (

Fifty-sixth Congress The 56th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1899, ...

). He was not an active candidate for reelection in 1900. In October 1900, Ross was elected president of the

Vermont Bar Association The Vermont Bar Association (VBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of Vermont. History Founded in September 1878 in Montpelier, the Vermont Bar Association remains the only professional organization for lawyers, judges, paralegals a ...

, and he served a one-year term. In November 1900, he succeeded

David J. Foster David Johnson Foster (June 27, 1857 – March 21, 1912) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Vermont. Biography Foster was born in Barnet, Vermont, a son of Jacob Prentiss Foster and Matilda (Cahoon) F ...

as chairman of the state board of railroad commissioners, and he served until being succeeded by Fuller C. Smith in November 1902.

Death and burial

Ross retired to his home in St. Johnsbury, where he resided until his death. He died on February 23, 1905, from injuries sustained when his sleigh was struck by a train a few days earlier. According to published accounts, Ross and his wife were stopped at a crossing while a train passed by. Their horse became frightened and dashed between two train cars, demolishing the sleigh and killing Mrs. Ross. The train crew transported Ross to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a broken hip and other injuries, and remained until his death. Ross is interred at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.

Family

Ross married Eliza Ann Carpenter (1826-1886) on November 22, 1852. They were the parents of eight children, including Caroline C., Eliza M., Helen M., Julia, Martha E., Edith Helen, Edward H., and Jonathan C. In 1887, he married Helen Daggert, and they remained married until her death.

References

External links

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations of ...

*
Govtrack US Congress
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Jonathan 1826 births 1905 deaths Chief Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court Dartmouth College alumni Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Republican Party United States senators from Vermont Vermont lawyers State's attorneys in Vermont Republican Party Vermont state senators Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court 19th-century American politicians People from Caledonia County, Vermont Burials in Vermont 19th-century American lawyers Accidental deaths in Vermont Railway accident deaths in the United States 19th-century American judges