Alex Ross

Background

He was born in Premnoy, Scotland.

Career

Ross was first elected in the 1917 Alberta election defeating Conservative Thomas Tweedie. The Labor Representation League later merged with the Dominion Labor Party (Alberta). In that election the United Farmers of Alberta defeated the Liberals in the rural part of the province, and formed the government.

Ross was acclaimed in a ministerial by-election on December 9, 1921.

In 1922 Ross helped found the Canadian Labor Party and served on its executive with other prominent labor politicians of the era, such as Elmer Ernest Roper and Alf Farmilo. Ross served out the rest of his second term as a minister, and his third term for the legislature until the 1926 Alberta general election.

He was nominated by the Canadian Labor Party to run in Calgary, however the Calgary Herald reported that he did not appear to be enthusiastic to run, but would accept his nomination anyway. On voting day Ross was defeated in the 8th round of vote transfers finishing 8th out of 11 candidates.

Achievements

• In the 1921 Alberta election after Calgary Centre was abolished he ran in the reconstituted Calgary riding and won the top spot in a 5-member block vote.

Membership

He was elected as the first and only member of the Labor Representation League to sit in the assembly. The United Farmers did not run any candidates in Calgary and Ross was asked to serve as Minister of Public Works despite being a member of the opposition.