James Ross (U.S. politician)

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James Ross (July 12, 1762 – November 27, 1847) was a lawyer and senator from Pennsylvania from 1794 to 1803.

Born near Delta, York County, Pennsylvania, he was the son of Joseph and Jane (Graham) Ross. At eighteen, after having received a classical education, he moved to Canonsburg, Pennsylvania and taught at what would become Washington and Jefferson College. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1784 focusing on land law. A Federalist, he was a member of the convention that drafted a new constitution for Pennsylvania in 1789-1790.

President George Washington appointed him to negotiate with the rebels of the Whiskey Rebellion, successfully defusing the situation without violence. On April 1, 1794, the Pennsylvania legislature elected him to the United States Senate. There, he authored a new law for the public lands and fought President Thomas Jefferson's administration.

He ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Pennsylvania in 1799, 1802, and 1808.

He died in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, which is now part of Pittsburgh. Ross County, Ohio and Ross Township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, is named for him.

[edit] References

• James Ross (U.S. politician) at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

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