William B. Ross
William B. Ross | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 12th Governor of Wyoming | |
| In office January 1, 1923 – October 2, 1924 | |
| Preceded by | Robert D. Carey |
| Succeeded by | Frank Lucas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Bradford Ross December 4, 1873 Dover, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | October 2, 1924 (aged 50) Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Resting place | Lakeview Cemetery, Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Nellie Tayloe Ross |
| Children | 3 |
| Mother | Sue Gray |
| Father | Ambrose B. Ross |
| Education | Peabody Normal School |
William Bradford Ross (December 4, 1873 – October 2, 1924) was an American politician who served as the 12th governor of Wyoming as a Democrat.
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. 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).[1][2]
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.[3]
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, but died on October 2, 1924 after suffering complications following an appendectomy that happened on September 25.[4] Secretary of State Frank Lucas served as acting governor until a special election was held where Ross's wife, Nellie Tayloe Ross, won and became the first female governor in the United States.
Electoral history[]
References[]
- ^ "Gov. W. B. Ross Answers Call". Casper Star-Tribune. 2 October 1924. p. 4. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Binheim, Max (1928). Women of the West; a series of biographical sketches of living eminent women in the eleven western states of the United States of America. p. 214-215.
- ^ "The "Other" Governor Ross: William B. Ross". 4 December 2015. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020.
- ^ "Gov. W. B. Ross Answers Call". Casper Star-Tribune. 2 October 1924. p. 4. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
| show Authority control  |
|---|
- 1873 births
- 1924 deaths
- American Episcopalians
- American Freemasons
- Democratic Party state governors of the United States
- Governors of Wyoming
- Tennessee Democrats
- People from Dover, Tennessee
- Politicians from Cheyenne, Wyoming
- Wyoming Democrats
- Wyoming lawyers
- 19th-century American lawyers