Robert Tripp Ross (June 4, 1903 – October 1, 1981) was an American politician from
New York. He served in two non-consecutive terms to the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
and an assistant
Secretary of Defense.
Early life
Born in
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
,
Beaufort County, North Carolina
Beaufort County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,652. Its county seat is Washington. The county was founded in 1705 as Pamptecough Precinct. Originally included in Bath Cou ...
and attended the public schools there and attended
Northeastern University. Later, he tried several professions including real estate investment in Florida, advertising sales in Florida and Texas, and auto sales in North Carolina.
[ He moved to ]New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
in 1929, and engaged as a druggist
A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...
. He took a job at a pharmacy in Queens where he became the manager.[ By 1946, he was an assistant to the president of a drug company]
Political career
In 1946, Ross ran for a seat in Congress from New York's 5th congressional district
The 5th congressional district of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives, represented by Democrat Gregory Meeks. The district is located in Queens. A plurality of the district's population is Africa ...
. Normally, a Democratic district, Ross won election as one of 55 Republicans who swept to victory in the 1946 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 1946.
Africa
* French legislative election, November 1946 (French Equatorial Africa)
* French legislative election, November 1946 (Guinea)
* 1946–1947 Moyen-Congo Representative Council election
* 19 ...
. His time in Congress was short as T. Vincent Quinn ousted him in 1948 and again in 1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 ...
.[ From 1949 until 1952, he was a director of sales and marketing for the Southern Athletic Company, which was owned by his brother-in-law.
At the end of 1951, Quinn resigned his seat in Congress to become the ]Queens County District Attorney
The District Attorney of Queens County is the elected district attorney for Queens County in New York State, coterminous with the New York City borough of Queens. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state law ...
and Ross won the February 1952 special election replace him.[ Ross was defeated in the general election in 1952 to Lester Holtzman.
]
Defense Department
After his defeat, Ross became the Washington liaison for the New York Republican State Committee
The New York Republican State Committee, established in 1855, is the New York State affiliate of the United States Republican Party (GOP). The party has headquarters in Albany, Buffalo, and New York City. .[ Later, he worked for ]Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs, or ASD(LA), is the head of the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs, responsible for providing support to the Secretary of Defense (SecDef) in his/her dealings with ...
, Fred A. Seaton. When Seaton left to work as an assistant to President Dwight Eisenhower in 1955, Ross was appointed to Seaton’s position.
Ross’ initial months in the post were tumultuous. Ross, acting on a directive from Secretary of Defense, Charles E. Wilson to ensure that all releases made a “constructive contribution” to national defense. Congressional committees and reporters charged him with censorship when he made significant edits to speeches by staffers, service secretaries and the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...
. A congressional subcommittee found that the Department of Defense’s policies were the most restrictive of any agency.[
He also incorrectly confirmed a 1956 report that three senators including, John L. McClellan, had requested the ]Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
to send a pair of planes to Europe for them. The Defense department ultimately apologized to the senators for the slip-up.[
In January 1957, Ross took a leave of absence in response to a congressional investigation into possible conflicts of interest involving a clothing business run by his wife and owned by his brother-in-law. The subcommittee, headed by Senator McClellan, looked into an $835,150 contract for Army trousers that was awarded to Wynn Enterprises. The Senators also looked into an allegation that Ross set up a meeting for his brother-in-law with an army officer to ostensibly discuss clothes procured under another defense contract. The committee also looked into information that Ross was still affiliated with the company, despite assurances that he severed all ties.][
Ross denied all the allegations and an investigation by the Defense Department found no violations of the law and no improper use of influence. Nevertheless, Ross concluded that the charges would affect his ability to serve and resigned in February 1957.][
]
Later career
After leaving the Defense Department, he worked as an assistant borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle A ...
works commissioner in Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
, New York from March 1957 to January 1958 and vice president, Merchandising Apparel Company, from 1959 to 1968.
Personal life
Ross married twice. He had two sons, Robert, Jr. and Ford, from his first marriage, which ended in divorce. His second wife was Claire (Wynn) Ross. He resided in Jackson Heights until his death there on October 1, 1981; interment was at Oakdale Cemetery in Washington, North Carolina.
[
]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Robert
1903 births
1981 deaths
People from Jackson Heights, Queens
People from Washington, North Carolina
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)
20th-century American politicians