Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/353

Rh he removed to the Red river settlement and was a member of the council of Assineboia. and was sheriff of the Red river settlement for several vears. He was for ﬁfteen years a resident in the territories of the lludsou bay company. and has given the result of his observations in the Works “ Adventures of the First Settlers on the Oregon or Columbia River: being a Narrative of the Expe— dition ﬁttingr out by John Jacob Astor to establish the Paciﬁc Fur Company. with an Account of some Indian Tribes on the Coast of the Paciﬁc" (Lon- don. 114-19): “The Fur—Hunters of the Far West. a Narrative of Adventures in the Oregon and Rocky Mountains” (2 vols.. 1555): and " The Red River Settlement. its Rise. Progress. and Present State" (1S56).—His son. James. b. in Red river settle- ment. Manitoba. 9 May. 1835; d. in \Yinnipen'. Manitoba. ‘20 Sept.. 1871. was educated at St. John's college. Red river. and at Toronto university. where he was graduated with honors in 1H37. In 1853 he taught as assistant classical master in Upper Canada college. Toronto. Iu 18.79. return— ing home. he was appointed postmaster. sheritt. and governor of the jail at Red river. was con- ner-ted as part proprietor and editor with the “Nor'-\\'ester" in IMO—'4. subsequently as asso- ciate editor of the [Iamilton "Spectator." and was also a writer on the Toronto "Globe." He was afterward admitted to the bar of Manitoba. in INTO was appointed chief justice of the provisional government under Louis Riel. and is said to have drawn tip the petition of right. He was opposed to Riel‘s violent and arbitrary acts.

'''ROSS. Alexander Coffman'''. merchant. h. in Zanesville. Ohio. 31 May. “#12: d. there. ‘25 Fel)., 1HN3. He became a merchant in his native place. sang in a. church choir. and in the presidential can- vass of 1840 was a member of a Whig glee-club. A friend having.r suggested that the tune “ Little Pigs" would be a suitable chorus for a political song. Ross set himself to compose the song. and one Sunday during sermon-time produced “ Tippe- canoe and Tyler too." This was sung by his glee- cluh at a mass-meeting in Zanesville. and at once became popular. When he went to New York in September. to buy goods. he sang it at a great meeting in Lafayette hall. the audience took up the chorus. after the meeting it was repeated by crowds in the streets and about the hotels. and thenceforth it. was the most successful song of a canvass in which Gen. Harrison was said to have been sung into the “'hite House. From a boy Mr. Ross was iuterested in scientiﬁc inventions. and he is said to have produced the ﬁrst daguerreotype ever made in this country. He was one of the most enterprising business men in Zancsville. and accumulated a large property. See "ur Familiar Songs. and Those who Made T hem." by Helen K. Johnson (New York. 1881).

'''ROSS. Alexander Milton.''' Canadian natural- ist. h. in Belleville. Ont.. 13 Dec. 1832; d. in Mont- real. 27 Oct.. 1897. He attended school till eleven, when the death of his father compelled his re— moval. He evinced a great love for natural his- tory at an early age. In his boyhood he came to New York city. and after struggling with many adversities became a compositor on the “ Evening Post." William Cullen Bryant. its editor. was much interested in him. and remained his friend ever afterward. During this period he became acquainted with Garibaldi. who was then a resi- dent of New York; and in 1874 Ross was in- strlunental in securing a pension for Garibaldi from the Italian government. In 1H5] he began the study of medicine under the direction of Dr Valentine Mott. in New York. and after four years of um‘emitting toil. workng as a compositor dur- ingr the day and studying medicine at night. he received his degree of M. I). in 1855. Soon after his graduation he was appointed a surgeon in the forces in Nicaragua. under William Walker. In 1H3“ he became actively engaged in the anti—slavery struggle in the United States. becoming a personal friend of John Brown. During the civil war he served for a short time as a surgeon in the Na- tional army. and afterward he was employed by President Lincoln as conﬁdential correspondent in Canada. where be rendered important services to the L'. S. government. receiving the thanks of the president and Sec. Seward. At the close of the war Dr. Ross otfered his services to President Juarez of Mexicn. and received the appointment of surgeon in the Mexican army. After the over- throw of the empire he returned to Canada and began to collect and classify the fauna and ﬂora of that country. a work that had never before been attempted by a native. He has collected and clas— siﬁed hundreds of species of birds. cg s. mammals, reptiles. and fresh-water ﬁsh. 3.41 10 species of insects. and 2.000 species of Canadian ﬂora. After his re- turn to Canada he became a member of the Col- lege of physicians and surgeons of Quebec and Ontario. and was one of the founders of the So- ciety for the diffusion of physiological knowledge in 1881. Dr. Ross had been appointed treasurer and Commissioner of agriculture for the province of Ontario. and he had removed from Montreal to Toronto. He was knighted by the emperor of Russia. and by the kings of Italy. Greece, and Sax- ony in 1876. and by the king of Portugal in 1877. He was appointed consul in Canada by the kings of Belgium and Denmark. and received the decora- tion of the " Académie Francaise " from the govern— ment of France in 1879. He was a member of many scientiﬁc societies. and the author of “Recollec- tions of an Abolitionist " (Montreal. INST); “ Birds of Canada " (1872) ; “ Butterﬂies and Moths of Can- ada” (1873); “ Flora of Canada " (1873) ; " Forest Trees of Canada ” (1874): “ Ferns and Wild Flow- ers of Canada " (1877); " Mammals. Reptiles. and Fresh-water Fishes of Canada" (1-878); " Vaccina- tion a Medical Delusion " (INS-'3); and " Medical Practice of the Future " (1887).

'''ROSS. David.''' congressman, b. in Maryland about 1750. He was a delegate from that state to the Continental congress in 17-5‘6—‘7. On 11 May. 1787. he voted on the motion to amend the article passed on 29 Aug.. 1756. making it read " that the proceedings of congress do not authorize the secre- tary of the ['nited States for the department of foreign aﬁairs to enter into any stipulation with the minister of his Catholick majesty." He also voted on ‘27 Sept.. 1787. to otter a resolution of thanks to John Adams for his service as minister to England. and on 13 0ct..1787. voted for Mr. Pierce Butler’s motion that it was the desire of congress to entertain the friendship existing be- tween the United States and his " Catholick maj- esty." There is no record of his death. .

'''ROSS. Edmund Gibson'''. senator. b. in Ashland. Ohio. '7 Dec.. 1-826. He was apprenticed at an early age to a printer. received a limited education. and in 1547 removed to Wiscousin. where he was employed in the office of the Milwaukee " Sentinel “ for four years. He went to Kansas in 1856. was a member of the Kansas constitutional convention in 1859. and served in the legislature until 1861. He was also editor of the Kansas “State Record " and the Kansas "Tribune." which was the only Free-state paper in the territory at that