In the house, Moss represented a very large rural district in south central Oregon.

Moss grew up and was educated in Peoria until the age of twelve when he moved with his family to Linn County, Oregon.

[1][2][3] In 1856, Moss enlisted as a private in Company C of the Oregon Rangers volunteer militia battalion.

He served a three-month tour in the John Day River country in north central Oregon before returning to Linn County.

Shortly after her death, Moss sold his farm and relocated to Big Valley, California, where he becoming a stockman.

They settled on a stock ranch in the Chewaucan Valley southeast of Paisley in Lake County.

[11] While the Examiner advocated a Democratic point of view, its front page often featured short fiction stories and anecdotes rather than actual news.

Moss took his seat in the Oregon House on September 11, 1882 and served through the regular legislative session which ended on 19 October.

During the session, Moss served as a member of the House internal improvements and assessments committees.

This allowed him to serve in the regular legislative session which opened on January 14, 1889, and lasted through 22 February.

[19] After the 1889 legislative session ended, Governor Sylvester Pennoyer appointed Moss to the Southern Oregon State Board of Agriculture.

The Democratic Party was authorized to nominate candidates for commissioner, sheriff, assessor, school superintendent, and surveyor.

By that time, he was also a member of the Democratic Party's state central committee in Oregon, a position he retained for a number of years.

[30][31][32] In the meantime, Moss lobbied the state legislature on behalf of Oregon's military veterans who were still owed pensions and back pay.

[40][41] After he recovered, Moss continued to serve on the bank boards[36][37] and remained active in Democratic politics.

At the time of his death, Moss owned over 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) of ranch land along with a large herd of sheep, some cattle, and about 50 horses.