Born in Orleans, Nebraska, Ross was in the United States Army as an Air Corps Major from 1942 to 1946.
He was a Republican Executive Committeeman in the state of Nebraska from 1952 to 1953 when he became Mayor of Lexington.
He served as a Committeeman from Nebraska to the Republican National Committee from 1958 to 1970 and was Vice Chairman for his delegation from 1965 to 1970.
[1] On November 30, 1970, Ross was nominated by President Richard Nixon to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated by Judge Harry Blackmun.
[1] He assumed senior status on June 13, 1987, and died following an illness at his home in Omaha on December 18, 2013.