Henry Davis Ross (September 12, 1861February 9, 1945) was an American jurist and politician. Before his election to the

Arizona Supreme Court The Arizona Supreme Court is the state supreme court of the U.S. state of Arizona. Sitting in the Supreme Court building in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, the court consists of a chief justice, a vice chief justice, and five associate justice ...

, he served as

county 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 lo ...

for both Coconino and

Yavapai The Yavapai are a Native American tribe in Arizona. Historically, the Yavapai – literally “people of the sun” (from ''Enyaava'' “sun” + ''Paay'' “people”) – were divided into four geographical bands who identified as separate, i ...

counties as well as a member of the

Arizona Territorial Legislature The Arizona Territorial Legislature was the legislative body of Arizona Territory. It was a bicameral legislature consisting of a lower house, the House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Council. Created by the Arizona Organic Act, the le ...

. Following Arizona statehood, he served on the state's highest bench for 33 years and was selected chief justice on six occasions. Ross served the longest tenure in the court's history while his brother, John Wilson Ross, served the shortest.

Biography

Ross was born on September 12, 1861 to Emily (Terrell) and William Henry Ross in

Berryville, Arkansas Berryville ( ) is a city in Carroll County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 5,682 at the 2020 census. making it the largest city in Carroll County. Along with Eureka Springs, it is one of the two county seats of Carroll County. His ...

. He grew up on his family's farm while attending the nearby Clark's Academy. Ross attended the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

and graduated with a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

in 1883. After graduation, Ross taught at a school in Arkansas before moving to Flagstaff, Arizona Territory in 1886. He continued to teach for another two years in Arizona. Among his students was future

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Henry F. Ashurst. Admission to the bar led Ross to begin practicing law in Flagstaff and Prescott. He married Margaret Wheeler of

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...

on April 24, 1890. The marriage produced two sons, Henry David, Jr and John Wheeler. Ross joined the Prescott legal firm of Ross & O'Sullivan in 1894, a partnership he continued until his ascension to the bench. He was elected to a two-year term as Yavapai County attorney in 1888. At the end of his term, Ross became county attorney for the newly created Coconino county. He then represented Coconino County as a member of the House during the 17th Arizona Territorial Legislature. Following his term in the legislature, he became Register for Prescott's land office. He won election for two more terms as Yavapai County attorney, in 1896 and 1908. Promotion to the Arizona Supreme Court came to Ross on February 14, 1912. He won reelection to the post several times and held a seat on the court until his death. During his time on the court, Ross was noted for his work effort, averaging 50 decisions a year over a five-year period at a time when a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States averaged ten to twelve rulings a year. In January 1945, Ross informed friends that he intended to retire at the end of his final term in January 1947. Ross died on February 9, 1945 following a stroke. The stroke occurred 8 days prior to his death and Ross failed to recover consciousness in the intervening time. He was buried at Phoenix's Greenwood Memorial Park.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Henry Davis 1861 births 1945 deaths Burials in Arizona Justices of the Arizona Supreme Court Members of the Arizona Territorial Legislature Arizona Territory officials People from Berryville, Arkansas Chief Justices of the Arizona Supreme Court