Dorothy Ross
Australian activist
About Dorothy Ross
Lived 1928 – 1998 (aged 70). Dorothy Ross was a Canadian.
Dorothy Dickson Ross (13 January 1928 – 13 October 1998) was an Australian farmer and women's and rural activist who was the first national president of the Country Women's Association.
She was born in Sydney to John Ross, the member for Albury in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, and Rita, née Mitchell, and was educated at Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney and Frensham School. She studied at the Bedford Physical Training College in Bedford, England, training as a physical education teacher.
In 1971 she became the first single woman to serve as state president of the CWA, a position she held until 1974. In that year she was appointed by the Whitlam Labor government to the National Rural Advisory Council, on which she was the only female member. She ran for the Senate in 1975 and 1977 on the Country Party's ticket, being narrowly defeated both times. In 1976 she joined the fledgling Australian Press Council, and regularly contributed to local newspapers and to The Land, in which she had a weekly column. In 1985 she was elected as the first National President of the CWA, serving until 1988. received the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977, and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1991 in recognition of her "service to women's affairs and to the community".
Ross died on 13 October 1998 in Holbrook, New South Wales.
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Important facts
People in Dorothy Ross's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Dorothy Ross's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Dorothy Ross?
Australian activist
When was Dorothy Ross born?
Dorothy Ross was born on 13 January 1928.
When did Dorothy Ross die?
Dorothy Ross died on 13 October 1998.
What nationality was Dorothy Ross?
Dorothy Ross was Canadian.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Dorothy Ross (activist)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Dorothy Ross. https://biography.guide/dorothy-ross/
MLA: "Dorothy Ross." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/dorothy-ross/.
Chicago: "Dorothy Ross." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/dorothy-ross/.
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