Bio of ROSS, Charles Henry (b.1848 d.1916), Hennepin Co., MN
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EXTRACTED FROM: History of Minneapolis, Gateway to the Northwest; 
Chicago-Minneapolis, The S J Clarke Publishing Co, 1923; Edited by: Rev. 
Marion Daniel Shutter, D.D., LL.D.; Volume I - Shutter (Historical); 
volume II - Biographical; volume III - Biographical
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Vol II, pg 582-586
CHARLES HENRY ROSS
For many years Charles Henry Ross was a dominant figure in banking circles in
Minneapolis and the Northwest. Greatly he extended and developed his interests
until many communities throughout Minnesota benefited by his labors and business
activities. He was a man of sound judgment, of broad vision and of high ideals
and the worth of his work can scarcely be overestimated, as his labors were at
all times of a constructive character that contributed in notable measure to the
develop­ment and growth of this section of the country. An eminent American
statesman has said that the strongest and best in American manhood is developed
when eastern birth and training are grafted onto western opportunities, and Mr.
Ross was an exemplification of this fact. He was born in Great Falls,
Massachusetts, in 1848. and at the age of two years was brought to the
Mississippi valley by his parents, who took up their abode near the city of
Columbus in Columbia county, Wisconsin. The father conducted a country store in
addition to carrying on the work of the farm and thus in his boyhood days
Charles H. Ross became familiar with all phases of merchandising as found in a
country store as well as with the work incident to the cultivation of crops. He
was seventeen years of age when he left the farm and in the meantime he had
pursued his preliminary education, mastering the various branches of learning
taught in the local schools. He was ambitious, however, to advance his education
and at that time entered the Lawrence University at Appleton. Wisconsin. He did
not complete the entire course there but put aside his textbooks in order to
start out in the business world, becoming cashier of a bank belonging to his
uncle, C. H. Chadhourn, at Blue Earth, Minnesota. He was at the time but twenty
years of age and without previous experience in this field of labor, but he
proved adequate to the demand made upon him and through his capability
con­tributed in substantial measure to the growth and development of the
business. A little later he was transferred to another bank, which was the
property of C. H. and R. W. Chadbourn at Rochester, Minnesota, which was then
the home city of the former uncle, while R. W. Chadbourn made his home at
Columbus, Wisconsin, where he was president of the bank. The former died some
years later in Minne­apolis. When Charles H. Ross was transferred to the bank at
Rochester his younger brother, William Ross, also twenty years of age at that
time, was made cashier of the Blue Earth bank. For three years Mr. Ross of this
review continued in the Rochester bank and then was transferred to the Brown
County Bank at New Ulm, Minnesota, of which he took charge and which also
belonged to his uncles. For eighteen years he was one of the officials of that
institution and during the greater part of the time owned stock therein. In 1892
he disposed of his banking interests at Rochester and took up his abode in
Minneapolis, having in the meantime become one of the stockholders in the Flour
City Bank and also in some banking institution in St. Paul. He became cashier of
the Flour City Bank on his arrival and in addi­tion to performing the duties of
that position he extended his efforts along other lines, ambitious to produce
larger results in his own behalf. In company with C. H. Davidson, Jr., he
acquired control of a chain of fifteen banks in North Dakota, while maintaining
his main office in Minneapolis and concentrated his energies upon the work of
developing the Dakota institution. From time to time he would estab­lish a new
bank, until he was connected with about twenty-five strong banking institutions
in the Northwest. He closely studied conditions and noted the possi­bilities of
growth in the town and put forth every effort to promote progress and
improvement in the communities in which he operated. He made frequent visits to
the various towns in which his banks were located and his efforts were at all
times resultant in the matter of improving the business conditions and otherwise
aiding in the material development of these various communities. He was always
very systematic and exact in his business affairs and demanded the same system
and exactness, ot his employes. He always formulated his plans carefully but was
prompt and energetic in their execution, and in his vocabulary there was no such
word as fail. Obstacles and difficulties in his path seemed to serve as an
impetus for renewed effort on his part and he carried forward to successful
completion what­ever he undertook.
On the 16th of August, 1877, at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, Mr. Ross was united
in marriage to Mrs. Mary E. (Eldred) Pierce, a native of Cochecton, New York.
She was reared and educated in Binghamton, New York, and by her former marriage
had become the mother of one daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Ross also reared and adopted
a child of his brother, Frank A. The daughter, Winona E. Pierce, is the widow of
Frank L. Randall, who for thirteen years was superintendent of the Minnesota
State Reformatory at St. Cloud and later held a similar position in
Mas­sachusetts, being chairman of the prison board of commissioners of that
state until 1910. He died in 1916. Mrs. Randall resides in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. The son, Charles Frederick Ross, is a member of the firm of
Davidson & Ross, bankers of Minneapolis. He married a daughter of Judge F. V.
Brown, formerly of this city but now living in Seattle. Mrs. Ross is a member of
the Lowry Hill Congregational church, in the work of which she has taken an
active and helpful part, formerly being one of the teachers in the Sunday
school. She also belongs to the Clio Literary Club and is interested in many
questions of civic and philanthropic nature.
In politics Mr. Ross was always a stalwart republican, giving unfaltering
alle­giance to the party and its principles. He belonged to the Protective
League, which was organized to aid in keeping Minneapolis clean and he was also
identified with the Humane Society. His spirit of helpfulness reached out to all
mankind wherever aid was needed and he was especially interested in the welfare
of the city. What­ever tended to promote the growth and progress of Minneapolis
received his endorse­ment and support, for he entertained high ideals for the
city and its development. At one time he was a member of the Commercial Club but
when the club allowed the sale of intoxicating liquor-to which he was most
strongly opposed-he with­drew from the organization. He belonged also to the
Lafayette and the Minikahda clubs and he found his recreation largely in golf.
He was always keenly interested in the park system of his home city, was a
stalwart champion of the cause of public education and labored earnestly to
advance all those forces which are moral agencies in the community. The entire
trend of his life and of his influence was upward and he was constantly seeking
out constructive measures for the city's improvement and upbuilding and for the
advancement of the individual. He became an expert concerning the value of
Turkish, Persian, Syrian and Armenian rugs and other Oriental products and his
home showed many beautiful specimens thereof. Life was to him purposeful and its
opportunities limitless. It did not mean the mere acquisition of wealth,
although he became one of the prosperous and prominent bankers of the Northwest.
It meant chance for intellectual and moral growth and progress as well and he
had great regard for all of those forces which make for cultural and moral
uplift. He sought the benefit of the community in many ways and his contribution
to the world's work was therefore indeed valuable.