Angus Ross

Angus Ross (19 July 1911 – 24 May 2000) was a New Zealand historian with a particular interest in the history and development of New Zealand's foreign policy. He was a professor of history at the University of Otago from 1965 until his retirement in 1976.

Ross joined the teaching faculty at Otago in 1934, after his master's thesis on Te Pūoho's raid was judged the best in New Zealand in its year.

Ross was appointed professor of history at Otago in 1964, and was active on the vice-chancellors' committee and in university administration. Ross retired in 1976, and lived in Dunedin for the rest of his life.

His PhD thesis was published as a book, New Zealand Aspirations in the Pacific in the Nineteenth Century. As an elder of the Dunedin Presbyterian Church, Ross wrote its centennial history in 1960.

Early life and family Ross was born in 1911 on a farm in the Otepopo district of Otago, New Zealand. His aunt, Frances Ross, the founding principal of Columba College, supported Angus and his cousin Tom Ross to pursue their secondary and tertiary education. They had one son, Bruce Ross, later vice-Chancellor of Lincoln University and chief executive of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Reda died in 1949 while Ross was studying overseas. In 1951, he married Margot Wood (née Garrett), also an Otago MA graduate in history, and became step-father to her daughter Jocelyn Harris, who went on to become a professor of English literature at the University of Otago. He was awarded the Military Cross and Bar, as well as the Greek Cross of Valour. On his return to New Zealand he wrote the battalion's history and was appointed a fellow of St John's.

On his return to New Zealand, Ross wrote the official war history of his battalion, the 23rd Canterbury-Otago, for the Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45 series. The book was published in 1959. and Erik Olssen for social history.

Honours and awards The Military Cross was awarded in 1943 for his actions in the battle of Takrouna, where as Captain, he drove a wireless vehicle through severe fire to establish communications with supporting artillery units. The Bar to his Military Cross was awarded in 1944,

The Greek government awarded him the Aristeion Andreias Cross of Valour for "assisting 3 Greek Mountain Brigade in training and during the battles of Rimini, Bellaria and Rubicone in Italy 1944, as Brigade Major 5 New Zealand Brigade".

In 1953, Ross was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal. In the 1980 New Year Honours, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to historical research and education.

Death and legacy Ross died on 24 May 2000, at the age of 89.

The Angus Ross Prize is awarded annually by the Otago University Council, on the recommendation of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Humanities), to the best student in at least four 300-level history papers in the same year.

Labour deputy Prime Minister Sir Michael Cullen credited Ross with bringing him to New Zealand; Ross hired Cullen as a lecturer in 1971. On the other side of New Zealand's political divide, the National Party Cabinet minister Hugh Templeton credited Ross's teaching and support for securing him a Rhodes Scholarship.

Selected publications

Authored books 23 Battalion War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington (1959) New Zealand's Aspirations in the Pacific in the Nineteenth Century Clarendon Press (1964)

Edited books New Zealand's Record in the Twentieth-Century Pacific (Auckland, 1969)

Articles and shorter works Ross, A. (1976). They built in faith: A short history of Knox Church, 1860-1976. Dunedin: Crown Print. Ross, Angus. "Frances Jane Ross". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published 1996. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.