Charles Griffith Ross (November 9, 1885 – December 5, 1950) was White House Press Secretary between 1945 and 1950 for President Harry S. Truman.

Early life

Ross graduated with Truman and Truman's eventual wife

Bess Truman Elizabeth Virginia Truman (''née'' Wallace; February 13, 1885October 18, 1982) was the wife of President Harry S. Truman and the first lady of the United States from 1945 to 1953. She also served as the second lady of the United States from Ja ...

Independence, Missouri Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro ...

from Independence High School (now known as William Chrisman High School), Class of 1901. He was initiated into the

Sigma Chi Sigma Chi () International Fraternity is one of the largest North American fraternal literary societies. The fraternity has 244 active (undergraduate) chapters and 152 alumni chapters across the United States and Canada and has initiated more t ...

fraternity and graduated from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

in 1905. In 1908, he became the first professor of the newly formed

Missouri School of Journalism The Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia is one of the oldest formal journalism schools in the world. The school provides academic education and practical training in all areas of journalism and strategic comm ...

Pulitzer Prize

In 1918, he became the Chief Washington correspondent for the '' St. Louis Post-Dispatch''. He won the

1932 Pulitzer Prize The following are the Pulitzer Prizes for 1932 . Journalism awards *Public Service: **''Indianapolis News'', for its successful campaign to eliminate waste in city management and to reduce the tax levy. * Reporting: **W. C. Richards, D. D. Martin, ...

for his article titled, " The Country's Plight—What Can Be Done About It?", a discussion of the economic situation of the United States. In 1934, he became the editorial page editor for the ''Post-Dispatch'' and then in 1939 became a contributing editor for the paper.

White House Press Secretary

In 1945, Truman asked Ross to become his Press Secretary. Despite his long-standing personal relationship with Truman, Ross gained a reputation for trustworthiness since reporters knew he spoke for the president both on and off the record. Very few reporters felt Ross led them astray either.National Archives biography
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Death

Ross died of a

coronary occlusion A coronary occlusion is the partial or complete obstruction of blood flow in a coronary artery. This condition may cause a heart attack. In some patients coronary occlusion causes only mild pain, tightness or vague discomfort which may be ignored ...

at his desk in the White House in December 1950 after giving a press conference as he was preparing to make some comments to the television news. He was buried in Washington's Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Family

His widow, Florence Griffin, married ''

The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...

'' editor Roy A. Roberts in 1953.

References

External links

Truman Library biography
* 1885 births 1950 deaths American male journalists Editors of Missouri newspapers Journalists from Missouri Pulitzer Prize for Correspondence winners Truman administration personnel University of Missouri alumni University of Missouri faculty White House Press Secretaries William Chrisman High School alumni Writers from Independence, Missouri Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) {{US-journalist-19thC-stub