Career
He was appointed to the seat representing the 3rd district replace Joe East. Lehmann, who had resigned. He started playing the fiddle in the 1960s while in his 50s, despite lacking 3 fingers, which he lost in a farm accident in his childhood. Foss also was a teacher in the 1940s, and briefly the owner of a hardware store.
He also played on the local baseball team in Scotland.
In 1989 he was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame. He was awarded the South Dakota Press Association in 1987.
He resided in Scotland, South Dakota, where he died on November 18, 2015.