Life

He was the son of Robert Ross, a Scottish tanner who settled at Rossville, a hamlet in Newburgh, New York

Newburgh (town), New York

Newburgh is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The 2010 census determined the population is 29,801. This is the first time ever that the population of the Town of Newburgh officially exceeded that of the adjacent but totally separate municipality known as the city of Newburgh...

. William Ross studied law, and practiced at Newburgh, New York. He married first Mary S. McLean (1787–1812), and then Caroline Middlebrook.

He was a member from Orange County

Orange County, New York

Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...

 of the New York State Assembly

New York State Assembly

The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...

 in 1808, 1809, and from 1811 to 1814. In February 1811, he was elected Speaker

Speaker of the New York State Assembly

The Speaker of the New York State Assembly is the highest official in the New York State Assembly, customarily elected from the ranks of the majority party....

 after the previously elected Speaker Nathan Sanford

Nathan Sanford

Nathan Sanford was an American politician.- Life :He was the son of Thomas Sanford and Phebe Sanford, née Baker...

 could not attend the session because of ill health.

From 1815 to 1822, he was a member of the New York State Senate

New York State Senate

The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...

 from the Middle District, and was a member of the Council of Appointment

Council of Appointment

The Council of Appointment was a body of the Government of New York that existed from 1777 to 1822.-History:...

 in 1816 and 1819.

Sources

• http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/ross.html Political Graveyard
• Google Book The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 101, 145, 184 and 301; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
• Pioneer Families of Orange County, New York by Bill Reamy (Heritage Books, 2007, ISBN 1585496014 , ISBN 9781585496013 ; page 135f)
• "BIG" LITTLE BRITAIN - The James Burnets by Margaret V. S. Wallace, from the Orange County Post on July 2, 1970, page 10