William Bradford Ross (December 4, 1873 – October 2, 1924) was an American politician who served as the 12th governor of Wyoming as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Life

William Bradford Ross was born in Dover, Tennessee on December 4, 1873 to Ambrose B. Ross and Sue Gray and later attended the

Peabody Normal School The Peabody Education Fund was established by George Peabody in 1867, after the American Civil War, for the purpose of promoting "intellectual, moral, and industrial education in the most destitute portion of the Southern States" except schools f ...

. He met Nellie Davis Tayloe while she was visiting her relatives in Dover and after moving to Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1901 they married on September 11, 1902 in Omaha, Nebraska and later had three children (twins James Ambrose and George Tayloe, Alfred Duff). From 1906 to 1907 he served as Laramie County's prosecuting attorney and in 1910 he unsuccessfully ran for Wyoming's at-large congressional seat. In 1918 he mounted a primary campaign against incumbent Governor Frank L. Houx, but was defeated. From 1910 to 1922, Ross served on the Wyoming Board of Law Examiners, including terms as the board's president.

Governor

During the 1922 gubernatorial election the Republican Party was divided due to a contentious primary between Robert D. Carey and John W. Hay where Hay won by only 443 votes and by appealing to Carey's voters through his strong prohibition stances allowed him to narrowly defeat Hay by 723 votes. In June 1924 he served as one of Wyoming's delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

Death

On September 23, 1924 he gave a speech in favor of a severance tax constitutional amendment in Laramie and while being driven home became sick. It was discovered that he was suffering from

phlebitis Phlebitis (or Venitis) is inflammation of a vein, usually in the legs. It most commonly occurs in superficial veins. Phlebitis often occurs in conjunction with thrombosis and is then called thrombophlebitis or superficial thrombophlebitis. Unlike ...

, but died on October 2, 1924 after suffering complications following an appendectomy that happened on September 25. Secretary of State

Frank Lucas Frank Lucas (September 9, 1930 – May 30, 2019) was an American drug trafficker who operated in Harlem, New York City, during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was known for cutting out middlemen in the drug trade and buying heroin directly ...

served as acting governor until a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

was held where Ross's wife, Nellie Tayloe Ross, won and became the first female governor in the United States.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, William B. 1873 births 1924 deaths American Episcopalians American Freemasons Democratic Party governors of Wyoming Governors of Wyoming Tennessee Democrats People from Dover, Tennessee Politicians from Cheyenne, Wyoming Wyoming Democrats Wyoming lawyers 19th-century American lawyers