Ross Graves (August 27, 1874 in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

– April 1, 1940 in

Dunkirk, New York Dunkirk is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. It was settled around 1805 and incorporated in 1880. The population was 12,743 as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Dunkirk i ...

) was an American businessman and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Life

Graves was the son of John J. Graves (1840–1921) and Sarah (Seath) Graves (1844–1917). The family removed to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, while Ross was still a child, and later to

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

(Erie Co., 2nd D.) in

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

and

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...

. He was also a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(48th D.) from 1917 to 1919, sitting in the 140th, 141st and

142nd New York State Legislature The 142nd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to June 16, 1919, during the first year of Al Smith's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provisions ...

s. He resigned his seat on December 27, 1919, having been elected Commissioner of Finance and Accounts of the City of Buffalo in November 1919. He took office as Commissioner in January 1920, and was re-elected in November 1923. In November 1925, he ran on a "dry" ticket for

Mayor of Buffalo The following is a list of people who have served as mayors of the city of Buffalo in the U.S. state of New York. List of mayors Number of mayors by party affiliation History In 1853, the charter of the city was amended to include the town ...

, but was defeated by the "wet" incumbent

Frank X. Schwab Francis Xavier Schwab (1874–1946) was Mayor of the City of Buffalo, New York, serving 1922–1929. He was born on Smith Street on the Buffalo's East Side on August 14, 1874. At 19, he became a foreman at the Pullman Palace Car Company, then k ...

. He was buried at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo.

Sources

''New York Red Book''
(1917; pg. 120)
''Niagara Frontier''
(Vol. 3; 1931; pg. 223)
''Dunkirk Evening Observer''
(April 2, 1940)
''Hooded Knights on the Niagara: The Ku Klux Klan in Buffalo, New York''
by Shawn Lay (pg. 27ff)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Graves, Ross 1874 births 1940 deaths Republican Party New York (state) state senators Politicians from Buffalo, New York Politicians from Albany, New York Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo) Businesspeople from Albany, New York Businesspeople from Buffalo, New York