John Ross

Who was John Ross?

John Ross was a merchant during the American Revolution.

He early relocated to Perth, Scotland, and entered into mercantile pursuits, but in 1763 he came to Philadelphia, where he became a shipping merchant. At the beginning of the conflicts with the mother country, he espoused the cause of the colonies, and was a signer of the non-importation agreement of the citizens of Philadelphia in 1765. He presided at the meeting of the mechanics and tradesmen of the city held on June 9, 1774, to consider a letter from the artificers of New York, and was a member of the committee to reply to the same. On September 16, 1775, he was appointed muster-master of the Pennsylvania navy, which office he resigned, February 23, 1776, to concentrate on his commercial affairs.

In May 1776, he was employed by the committee of commerce of Congress to purchase clothes, arms, and powder for the army. This necessitated the establishment of agencies in Nantes and Paris, and Ross made several visits to France during the war. In this duty he advanced or pledged his credit for £20,000 more than was authorized by Congress, much to his later embarrassment and subsequent loss.