Philip Ross

Philip Dansken Ross was born in Montreal on January 1, 1858, to Christina Chalmers Dansken and accountant Philip Simpson Ross. He entered McGill University in 1875 as a science major, graduating with honours that same year. While at McGill, he played for the football and rowing clubs, captaining the football team to a victory over Harvard in 1878—the first international football game between Canada and the United States. He also won the provincial single sculling championship twice, played lacrosse, and helped establish several golf clubs.

Career

After graduating, Ross worked briefly for the Montreal Harbour Commission before joining the Montreal Star in 1880. He later moved to the Toronto Daily Mail as a journalist, then returned to the Montreal Star in 1885, eventually becoming its managing editor. In 1887, he became co-owner of the nearly bankrupt Ottawa Evening Journal; by 1891 he had bought out his partner and turned the paper into a highly successful and respected publication. He served as its president for sixty years and was a founder of the Canadian Press.

Ross was deeply involved in early ice hockey. He helped build the Ottawa Hockey Club (later the Ottawa Senators) and sometimes played for the team. Through the club, he befriended the sons of Lord Stanley, then Governor-General of Canada. In 1892, Lord Stanley appointed Ross a trustee for his new championship trophy—the Stanley Cup.

Ross was one of the two original trustees named in 1894 and held that role for 56 years, until his death. He also helped found the Ontario Hockey Association in 1890 and played in the first Ontario championship game in 1891, helping Ottawa defeat Toronto St. George’s 5–0 at the Rideau Rink. Beyond hockey, he served as a trustee for the Minto Cup (lacrosse) but turned down the trusteeship for the Grey Cup (Canadian football). He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976.

Politics

Ross also entered politics. In 1912, the Civic Improvement League nominated him as its mayoral candidate, a move that upset Ottawa Citizen publisher Wilson Southam, who objected to Ross’s support for compulsory vaccination and what he called elitism. Ross lost the election. In 1928, he served as president of the Liberal-Conservative Association of Ottawa.