James Ross (9 May 1835 – 20 September 1871) was a Métis

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

, lawyer, and member of the

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...

established by

Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of Canada and its first ...

during the

Red River Rebellion The Red River Rebellion (french: Rébellion de la rivière Rouge), also known as the Red River Resistance, Red River uprising, or First Riel Rebellion, was the sequence of events that led up to the 1869 establishment of a provisional government by ...

of 1869–1870. He graduated with honours from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

in 1857. He also received a Master of Arts from the same university later in 1865. He was the Métis son of Scottish immigrant author and

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

fur trader/administrator Alexander Ross and Sarah (Timentwa), an Okanagan tribal woman. James married Margaret Smith in Toronto on 18 May 1858. Ross represented the views of the

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community in the

Red River Colony The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement), also known as Assinboia, was a colonization project set up in 1811 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, on of land in British North America. This land was granted to Douglas by the Hudson's Bay ...

, defusing tensions between the French- and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

-speaking delegates of the Métis National Committee. He served on the Convention of Fortyhttp://www.metismuseum.ca/media/document.php/12539.Convention%20of%20Forty%20revised.pdf (January 25, 1870 to February 10, 1870) as a representative of St. John's Parish. Ross served as translator of the speeches of the French delegates, and also served on the "Committee of Six" responsible for drafting the "List of Rights" that were presented to the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

during the negotiations that led to the

Manitoba Act The ''Manitoba Act, 1870'' (french: link=no, Loi de 1870 sur le Manitoba)Originally entitled (until renamed in 1982) ''An Act to amend and continue the Act 32 and 33 Victoria, chapter 3; and to establish and provide for the Government of the Pro ...

of 1870 and the entry of the

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Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

into the

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Dominion ...

. James Ross died of tuberculosis on September 20, 1871.

References

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''

Memorable Manitobans: James Ross (1835-1871)

James Ross : 1835-1871 : the life and times of an English-speaking halfbreed in the old Red River settlement; Remis, Leonard Lawrence
1835 births 1871 deaths University of Toronto alumni People of the Red River Rebellion Métis politicians Canadian people of Scottish descent Canadian Métis people Lawyers in Manitoba {{Canada-law-bio-stub