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He first ran for office in December 1971 in the only Republican gubernatorial closed primary ever held in the history of Louisiana. He was soundly defeated for the GOP nomination by the Metairie attorney David Conner Treen, who had also run unsuccessfully for the [[United States House of Representatives]] from suburban [[New Orleans]] in 1962, 1964, and 1968. Treen had the support of the party leadership, including chairman [[Charles and Virginia de Gravelles|Charles C. de Gravelles, Sr.]], of Lafayette. Ross was the "outsider"; party leaders and voters preferred the "insider" Treen.  

He first ran for office in December 1971 in the only Republican gubernatorial closed primary ever held in the history of Louisiana. He was soundly defeated for the GOP nomination by the Metairie attorney David Conner Treen, who had also run unsuccessfully for the [[United States House of Representatives]] from suburban [[New Orleans]] in 1962, 1964, and 1968. Treen had the support of the party leadership, including chairman [[Charles and Virginia de Gravelles|Charles C. de Gravelles, Sr.]], of Lafayette. Ross was the "outsider"; party leaders and voters preferred the "insider" Treen.  

Ross also filed as a candidate for the Louisiana State Senate in the February 1, 1972, general election but was easily defeated, 78-22 percent, by incumbent Democrat Charles M. Brown of Tallulah, the seat of Madison Parish in northeastern Louisiana. While Ross was running for the state Senate, his stepfather, Terry Clingan (March 24, 1918–December 3, 2007), the Mangham  barber, waged an unsuccessful campaign against Democratic State Representative Lantz Womack of Winnsboro, the seat of neighboring Franklin Parish.

Ross also filed as a candidate for the Louisiana State Senate in the February 1, 1972, general election but was easily defeated, 78-22 percent, by incumbent Democrat Charles M. Brown of Tallulah, the seat of Madison Parish in northeastern Louisiana. While Ross was running for the state Senate, his stepfather, Terry Clingan (March 24, 1918–December 3, 2007), the Mangham  barber, waged an unsuccessful Republican campaign against Democratic State Representative Lantz Womack of Winnsboro, the seat of neighboring Franklin Parish.

After the death of Clingan's first wife, the former Vera Wallace, he married again in 1949 -- to Ross' mother. The marriage lasted fifty-three years until her death. Clingan was a master Mason and a deacon of the First Baptist Church of Mangham. Ross' father had been killed in an accident in a shipyard in Galveston, [[Texas]], when Ross was a boy.

After the death of Clingan's first wife, the former Vera Wallace, he married again in 1949 -- to Ross' mother. The marriage lasted fifty-three years until her death. Clingan was a master Mason and a deacon of the First Baptist Church of Mangham. Ross' father had been killed in an accident in a shipyard in Galveston, [[Texas]], when Ross was a boy.