Biography

Ross was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York and raised in the Bronx. His father died when he was 16. Ross went to Stuyvesant High School and afterward, he joined the U.S. Army as a crypt analyst for one year and then attended Clemson University and Brooklyn College where he received a B.A. and then earned his law degree from Brooklyn Law School. He was admitted to practice in New York State in 1953. After he passed the bar, he worked in the litigation department for Dreyer & Traub. In 1954, he became the in-house counsel for Goldman DeLorenzo (founded by Sol Goldman and Alex DiLorenzo).

In a March 2004 interview with USA Today, Ross said that he has known Trump since the 1970s, when he was a lawyer in a firm with which Trump was negotiating a deal. They became friends, and Ross represented Trump in several major real estate deals in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1996, when Ross had become bored with his legal practice, Trump offered Ross a job. Ross said of his boss, "I think I know his mind as well as anybody else. I know what he wants. He gives it to me, and I can take it from there. He does not micromanage. He deals in broad strokes. I love it." Trump said of Ross, "He's tough, firm but fair, a very brilliant lawyer, and I trust his judgment."

Personal life

He lives on Long Island, is married to Millie Ross; they have two children: Nancy and Stephanie. He is of the Jewish faith. He enjoys tennis and golf, and teaches courses in negotiation and real estate transactions at New York University. He is the author of two books, Trump Strategies For Real Estate and Trump Style Negotiation.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]