George Ross (delegate)
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| George Ross | |
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 George Ross. 1873 oil painting by Philip Fishbourne Wharton after Benjamin West. |
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| Born | May 10, 1730 New Castle, Delaware |
| Died | July 14, 1779 (aged 49) unknown |
| Known for | signer of the United States Declaration of Independence |
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George Ross (May 10, 1730 – July 14, 1779) was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Pennsylvania. He was born in New Castle, Delaware, and educated at home. He studied law at his brother John's law office, the common practice in those days, and was admitted to the bar in Philadelphia. Initially a Tory, he served as Crown Prosecutor for 12 years and was elected to the provincial legislature in 1768. There his sympathies began to change and he became a strong supporter of the colonial assemblies in their disputes with Parliament.
He was a member of the Committee of Safety and was elected to the Continental Congress. He was a colonel in the Pennsylvania militia (1775–1776), and vice-president of the first constitutional convention for Pennsylvania. He resigned from the Continental Congress in 1777 because of poor health, and was appointed to the Pennsylvania Court of Admiralty, in which office he died at age 49.
George's sister Gertrude married Thomas Till, the son of William Till, a prominent Sussex County judge and politician; after his death, she married George Read, another signer of the Declaration.[1] George Ross was born May 10, 1730 at New Castle Delaware.He was the oldest son in his family. His dad was an Anglican clergyman who had immigrted from Scotland. He was educated at Private,Classical. He Read law in philidalphia for his stepbrother who was named John. His father was a minister and the Ross children received a sound classical education at home which means he was home schooled He was the lase=t gentleman who belonged to the George Ross He was born May 10, 1730 at New castle Delaware. George Ross was the oldest son who of an Anglican clergyman who had immigrated from Scotland. He was educated at Private, Classical. He read Law in Philadelphia, for his older brother (stepbrother) who was named John. His father was a minister, and the Ross children received a sound classical education at home (he was home schooled).
He was the last gentleman who belonged to the Pennsylvania delegation, at the time the members in the revolutionary congress affixed their signatures to the declaration of independence, George Ross. As was typical of many gentlemen of that time, his politics were Tory.
In 1750, he was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar (member of Pennsylvania) when he was twenty years old and he established his own practice in Lancaster. In 1751, he was then married at Lancaster, Pa. He fathered two sons and a daughter. He married Ann Lawer Ross. From 1768 to 1776, he was, for twelve years Crown Prosecutor (which is attorney general) for Carlisle (Cumberland County), until 1778 when he was elected to the provincial legislature of his state.
He was elected to Continental Congress in 1774, 1776, 1777. He was a Colonel in the Continental Army in 1776. In 1776, he under took negotiations with the northwestern Indians on behalf of his Colony and that year he acted as vice president of the State constitutional convention, so then that led to helping draft a declaration of rights. He was reelected to the Continental Congress again in January 1777 but resigned that same year because he had poor health then. He was vice president of the Pennsylvania constitutional convention and He was the Judge of the Admiralty Court of Pennsylvania and that was in 1779. In 1778, while he was acting as admiralty judge, a congressional court of appeals overruled his decision in a case involving dispute between a citizen of Connecticut and the state of Pennsylvania. He refused to acknowledge the authority of the higher court to counter State decisions, which initiated a dispute between manifestation of the States rights controversy and did not subside until 1809.
In 1779 he died in office at the age of 49. After George's death, Ann married George Read, who also signed the declaration.
[edit] External links
- Biography by Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, 1856
- "George Ross (delegate)". Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=2775.
[edit] References
- ^ http://colonialhall.com/read/readGertrude.php Bio of Gertrude Ross
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