In 1918 he became the Chief Washington correspondent for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He won the 1932 Pulitzer Prize for his article entitled, "The Country's Plight, What Can Be Done About It?", a discussion of the economic situation of the United States.
In 1934 he became the editorial page editor for the Post-Dispatch and then in 1939 became a contributing editor for the paper until Truman asked him to become his Press Secretary in 1945.
Despite Ross' personal relationship with Truman, he was to be accused by reporters of not running a tight ship in coordinating press releases, not being aware of everything going on in the Presidency, not burnishing the President's image, not being aware of the needs for spot news, and being a poor public speaker. However, Ross' personal relationship with Truman had its advantages, as reporters knew Ross spoke for the president both on and off the record. Very few reporters felt Ross led them astray, either.[1]
Ross died at his desk in the White House in December 1950 after giving a press conference as he was preparing to make some comments to the television news.
