Born December 2, 1880 in Forest, Scotland, Alexander Ross came with his parents to Regina in 1886, which was then in the North West Territories. After completing senior matriculation he studied law at the firm of James Balfour and was admitted to the Bar of the North West Territories at age 21. He took up a practice in Regina, soon attaining a leading place as agent of the Attorney General for the Judicial District of Regina in 1906. He married Harriett Beatrice Scott from Ontario in 1909. He was made a King’s Counsel in 1914 and had even started a military career before World War One began when he joined the 28th Northwest Battalion becoming Captain and Company Commander. On the formation of the 95th Saskatchewan Rifles he was commissioned as a lieutenant. He served in France from September, 1915, as a major. He became a colonel in 1916 at the battle of the Somme, served at Vimy Ridge in 1917 and in 1918 he became Brigadier General. On demobilization he commanded Military District No. 12 until September 1, 1920. In 1921, he and his wife moved to Yorkton, when he was appointed a Judge of the District Court of the Judicial District of Yorkton. In 1925, when Field Marshall Earl Haig came to Canada to organize the Canadian Legion of the British Empire Service League, Judge Ross worked with him in this task. He became president of the Yorkton Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion #77 from 1926 to 1930 and Dominion president from 1934 to 1938. During the second World War he served first as a chairman and later as president of the Canadian Legion War Service. He and his wife were also very involved in Holy Trinity Anglican Church with Alexander becoming chancellor of the Anglican diocese of Qu’Appelle. Brigadier General Alexander Ross, C.M.G., D.S.C. received an Honorary Degree at a Convocation of May 13, 1955, at the University of Saskatchewan for contributions to public service; community service; and military service. General Ross died at age 92 on October 14, 1973, and was interred in the Yorkton Cemetery with full military honours; the 64th Battery firing an 11-gun salute. At the time, W.H. Morrison, representing the Yorkton-Melville-Wynyard Bar Association, said General Ross was a most distinguished jurist, whose name ranked with the other distinguished names of other jurists in the province.
Contact Terri Lefebvre Prince,
Heritage Researcher,
City of Yorkton Archives,
Box 400, 37 Third Avenue North
Yorkton, Sask. S3N 2W3
306-786-1722
[email protected]
