Former Social Security Commissioner Sanford Ross recently passed away at the age of 88. Stanford was appointed commissioner by President Jimmy Carter and served more than a year as the commissioner from Oct. 5, 1978 to Dec. 31, 1979. Although Social Security commissioners are appointed to terms that last several years, many previous commissioners have not served out their entire term and have switched career paths to concentrate on other pursuits. Being the commissioner of Social Security is no easy task as there are a lot of moving parts to manage, which might be one reason some commissioner leave even before their term is up. Below is Social Security’s biography of Ross.
Stanford Ross was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He received a bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1953, and a law degree from Harvard University in 1956. From 1957 to 1958 Mr. Ross was a teaching fellow and research assistant at Harvard Law School. Prior to becoming Assistant Tax Legislative Counsel for the Treasury Department in 1961, he practiced law in New York City. From 1963 to 1967 Mr. Ross was a Professor at the New York University School of Law. During 1967-1968 Mr. Ross was a White House staff assistant, working on domestic programs. He served as General Counsel for the Department of the Treasury from 1968 to 1969, before leaving to practice law, specializing in Federal law and administrative law. In 1978 Mr. Ross became the first non- career civil servant to be appointed Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, a post he held for 13 months before resigning to start a law firm with Joesph A. Califano, former Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare.
