Michael Ross

Michael K. Ross (July 14, 1941 – August 21, 2007) was an American civil rights activist, construction worker, and member of the Washington House of Representatives who served from 1970 to 1972. He is the last Republican to have been elected from Washington's 37th legislative district. In 1967 he moved to Washington state out of a desire to escape the discrimination he had suffered elsewhere as a result of his brief marriage to a Caucasian woman.

In Seattle, Ross became involved with the local chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality, and was eventually elected president of the chapter. In an interview with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer about black activism at the University of Washington, Ross criticized African Americans "that have been homogenized by the university and who now serve as spokesmen and leaders for the black community because whites feel at ease with them." Later, Ross would join in demonstrations demanding the University of Washington terminate athletic contacts with Brigham Young University.

After he took office, Ross was appointed by Governor Daniel J. Evans, a fellow Republican, to the state's law and justice planning committee, an executive branch advisory body. He grabbed headlines on a number of occasions due to his radical politics and firebrand activism. In 1972 he introduced what is believed to be the first bill to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, four decades before the drug was ultimately legalized in Washington, and, later, drove an armed contingent of Black Panthers in a state-owned vehicle to Rainier Beach High School during a period of racial tensions. On another occasion he was arrested for helping to topple a bulldozer in protest of the lack of racial diversity among contractors working on the construction of Seattle Central Community College.

Later life After leaving politics, Ross founded two different construction companies, which experienced varying degrees of success. He later served as executive-director of the United Inner City Development Foundation, worked for the United States Department of Energy and, toward the end of his life, served as a minority liaison for Seattle Vocational Institute.

Ross died of a heart attack in 2007.