John Kenneth Leveson Ross (1876-1951)

He was born in Montreal and educated at Bishop's College School, Lennoxville; and at McGill University. He made a name for himself as a sportsman and thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder. He is best remembered for winning the first United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1919 with his Hall of Fame colt, "Sir Barton". In 1911, he set the world record for catching the largest tuna (680 lb, 308 kg) by rod-and-line at his fishing lodge at St. Anns, Nova Scotia (where Princess Patricia became engaged to Alexander Ramsay while his guests). After his father, he was the second Canadian to be made a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron.

He was a generous philanthropist who donated $500,000 in cash to the Royal Navy and gave a further $500,000 to be distributed between the families of enlisted men killed in World War One. He gave $1 million to the Royal Victoria Hospital, another $1 million to Bishop's College to build a new boarding house "Ross House," and always gave liberally to McGill University. He kept a private rail car "Cromarty" and bought Willie K. Vanderbilt's high-speed yacht Tarantula. Through a combination of lavish living, generosity, and bad business decisions, he lost $16 million in 20-years and was forced to leave Montreal for Jamaica - the story of which is told in the history of the James Ross House.