Wayne Anthony Ross (born February 25, 1943) is an American attorney residing in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

. In 2009, Ross was nominated to be

Alaska Attorney General The Alaska Attorney General is the chief legal advisor to the Government of Alaska, government of the State of Alaska and to its List of Governors of Alaska, governor. The Attorney General is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Alaska L ...

by then

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...

. His nomination was rejected by the

Alaska Legislature The Alaska Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is a bicameral institution consisting of the 40-member Alaska House of Representatives (lower house) and the 20-member Alaska Senate (upper house). There are 40 Hou ...

on April 16, 2009. Ross is a current director of the

National Rifle Association of America The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent gun rights lobbying organization while cont ...

, and previously served as its vice president.Meet the NRA's Board of Directors
''

Mother Jones Mary G. Harris Jones (1837 (baptized) – November 30, 1930), known as Mother Jones from 1897 onwards, was an Irish-born American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent union organizer, community organizer, and activist. She h ...

'', January 16, 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2016.

Biography

Ross has been active in Alaska politics for decades, running in the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

gubernatorial primaries twice and serving on Palin's gubernatorial campaign. He has been active in lobbying for

gun rights The right to keep and bear arms (often referred to as the right to bear arms) is a right for people to possess weapons (arms) for the preservation of life, liberty, and property. The purpose of gun rights is for self-defense, including securi ...

and against

gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians. Most countries have a restrictive firearm guiding policy, with on ...

, and in the

pro-life movement Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

. Ross' nomination to be Alaska Attorney General was controversial. In 1993, he wrote a letter to the state

bar association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence. The word bar is derived from the old English/European custom of using a physical railing to separ ...

, arguing against a law which would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. In the letter, Ross wrote: "This bill seems to give extra rights to a group whose lifestyle was a crime only a few years ago, and whose beliefs are certainly immoral in the eyes of anyone with some semblance of intelligence and moral character." He went on to describe gay Alaskans as "degenerates" who engage in "sexual perversion". Questioned about these statements during his confirmation hearings, Ross compared his distaste for homosexuals to his distaste for

lima bean A lima bean (''Phaseolus lunatus''), also commonly known as the butter bean, sieva bean, double bean, Madagascar bean, or wax bean is a legume grown for its edible seeds or beans. Origin and uses ''Phaseolus lunatus'' is found in Meso- and Sou ...

s, and stated that he would uphold state laws regardless of his personal opinions on homosexuality or lima beans. Ultimately, Ross' nomination was rejected by the Alaska Legislature on April 16, 2009, by a vote of 3523, the first time an Alaska Governor's cabinet appointee failed confirmation.

References

1943 births Alaska lawyers Alaska Republicans Living people Lawyers from Anchorage, Alaska {{Alaska-politician-stub