Sir Robert Dalrymple Ross (1827 - 1887) was an army officer, politician and businessman.

He was born at St Vincent in the West Indies, son of John Pemberton Ross, Speaker of the House of Assembly at St Vincent, and his wife, the only daughter of Dr Alexander Anderson. He was educated in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, joined the British army in 1855, and commissioned in 1856.

Ross was appointed to South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

 in 1862 as head of the Commissariat Department

Royal Army Service Corps

The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...

 and was briefly aide-de-camp

Aide-de-camp

An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...

 to Governor Daly

Dominick Daly

Sir Dominick Daly was the Governor of Prince Edward Island from 11 July 1854 to 25 May 1859 and later Governor of South Australia from 4 March 1862 until his death on 19 February 1868....

. On 10 August 1865 in Adelaide

Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

 he married Mary Anstice (d.1867), daughter of John Baker

John Baker (Australian politician)

John Baker was an early South Australian pastoralist and politician. He was the second Premier of South Australia, succeeding Boyle Finniss; however, he only held office for 12 days from 21 August to 1 September 1857 before being succeeded by the third Premier of the colony, Robert Torrens.-Early...

, and bought Highercombe at Gumeracha. In 1869 he went to England, and in 1870 to Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, but a little later he resigned his commission to return to Australia.

In 1875 after being defeated for Gumeracha, Ross entered the House of Assembly

South Australian House of Assembly

The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...

 for Wallaroo

Wallaroo

A Wallaroo is any of three closely related species of moderately large macropod, intermediate in size between the kangaroos and the wallabies. The name "wallaroo" is a portmanteau of wallaby and kangaroo. The term is not generally used by Australians...

 and from June 1876 to October 1877 was treasurer in the Colton

John Colton

Sir John Colton KCMG was an Australian politician, Premier of South Australia and philanthropist.Colton, the son of William Colton, a farmer, was born in Devonshire, England. He arrived in South Australia in 1839 with his parents, who went on the land...

 ministry. In 1881-87 he was Speaker of the assembly. He represented Gumeracha in 1884-87 and was knighted in 1886.

Summary of activities and appointments:

• Actively supported scheme to lay a cable from England to Australia
• Actively supported scheme to build a transcontinental railway from Adelaide to Darwin.
• In 1879 told a commission on liquor laws that wine would become a most important industry of the colony.
• Carried out experiments at Highercombe in growing olives and vines, in cider making and in fruit drying.
• President of the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia; he gave papers on agriculture, scrub land cultivation and wine and brandy.
• Governor of the Collegiate School of St Peter, Adelaide.
• Member of the Council of the University of Adelaide
  University of Adelaide
  The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
  
  .
• Chairman of the Adelaide Steamship Company
  Adelaide Steamship Company
  The Adelaide Steamship Company was formed by a group of South Australian businessmen in 1875. Their aim was to control the transport of goods between Adelaide and Melbourne and profit from the need for an efficient and comfortable passenger service...
  
  .
• Promoter and guarantor of the 1886 Adelaide jubilee exhibition.

Ross died in hospital at North Adelaide

North Adelaide

North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands.-History:...

 on 27 December 1887 and was buried, after a state funeral, in St George's cemetery, Woodforde

Woodforde, South Australia

Woodforde is a suburb of Adelaide within the Adelaide Hills Council. It is located about 10 km east of the Adelaide city centre.Woodforde is in the State House of Assembly Electoral district of Morialta and is in the Federal Division of Mayo....

.