George Ross (delegate)

George Ross
George Ross. 1873 oil painting by Philip Fishbourne Wharton after Benjamin West.
Born	(1730-05-10)May 10, 1730 New Castle, Delaware
Died	July 14, 1779(1779-07-14) (aged 49) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Resting place	Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia
Known for	signer of the United States Declaration of Independence
Signature

George Ross Jr (May 10, 1730 – July 14, 1779) was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Pennsylvania. He was also the uncle of the man who married Betsy Griscom in 1773, giving her her famous married name: Betsy Ross. In 1952, he, George Washington, and Robert Morris appeared on a 3-cent stamp commemorating Betsy Ross.

George Ross was born May 10, 1730 in New Castle, Delaware. He was educated at home and later studied law at his brother John's law office, the common practice in those days, before being admitted to the bar in Philadelphia. Initially a Tory, he served as Crown Prosecutor for 12 years and was elected to the provincial legislature in 1768. There, his sympathies began to change, and he became a strong supporter of the colonial assemblies in their disputes with Parliament.

He was a member of the Committee of Safety, and was elected to the Continental Congress. He was a colonel in the Pennsylvania militia (1775–1776), and vice-president of the first constitutional convention for Pennsylvania. He resigned from the Continental Congress in 1777 because of poor health, and was appointed to the Pennsylvania Court of Admiralty where he died at age 49.

His dad was Rev. George Aeneas, the 5th Laird Balblair Ross (b.1679, d.1754), who had 2 wives and 16 children, and was an Anglican clergyman who had immigrated from Scotland. Their paternal line goes back to Farquhar Ó Beólláin (1173-1251) who King Alexander II 1st Earl of Ross in 1226 after great wins in battle.

The Ross children received a sound classical education at home. He studied law at his half-brother John's Law Practice in Philadelphia. George's sister Gertrude married Thomas Till, the son of William Till, a prominent Sussex County judge and politician; after his death, she married George Read, another signer of the Declaration.