Jack Ross

Norman "Jack" Ross (April 3, 1927 – January 13, 2013) was an Arizona car dealer, philanthropist and politician who twice sought the Democratic nomination for Governor of Arizona. He was the husband of movie star Acquanetta.

Early life and education Ross was born April 3, 1927, in Chicago, Illinois, the eldest of three children of Norman A. Ross, M.D., and Edna Ross. At 17, Ross enlisted in the U.S. Army which sent him to Stanford University, where he studied engineering and graduated from the Army's accelerated training program. He was deployed to Europe. Ross later received his B.A. from USC.

Ross married movie star Acquanetta, the couple lived in Mesa, Arizona, and she appeared with Ross in his local television advertisements, and also by hosting a local television show called Acqua's Corner that accompanied the Friday late-night movies. The couple had four children, and divorced in the 1980s. Ross also owned the 5,000 acre Chino Grande Ranch in Yavapai County.

Ross was an environmentalist who owned the Mesa Grande ruins with his wife before they sold it to the city in 1987 to become a cultural park. He also donated the abandoned Oro Belle mine to the Arizona Historical Society. On election day Ross took second with 25.4% of the votes.

In 1974, Ross launched a second bid for governor. During Ross' second campaign his priorities were "reorganization of state government, reduction in size of state government, statewide ecological land use plan, law and order (curtailment of drugs and control of crime), reorganization of welfare program, lower taxes on all levels and eliminate sales tax on food" Ross lost again to Castro, taking 18.2% of the vote.