Grange Hall of Fame – Albert S. Goss

Name: Albert S. Goss Date or Year, Place Born: October 14, 1882; Rochester, New York Date or Year, Place Died: October 25, 1950; New York, New York Residence as an Adult: Washington State; Washington, D.C.

Biography:

As a young boy Albert S. Goss moved with his family to Spokane, Washington in 1889. In 1907 he married Minnie E. Hand and they had three children, Ruth D. in 1909, Warren H. in 1912 and Betty Jane in 1914. Early in his adult life he was a bookkeeper and was involved in milling, general farming, a telephone business and a country store.

Albert S. Goss was a member of Finley Grange #414 in Benton County, Washington and in 1920 his Grange resume begins in earnest with his being named manager of the Grange Cooperative Wholesale in Seattle.

In 1922 Brother Goss was elected the 7^th Master of the Washington State Grange and served until 1933. Thanks to the leadership of Brother Goss and the Washington State Grange the Washington State Public Utility District (PUD) initiative, Initiative #1 in Washington State, passed in 1930 bringing with it public ownership of power and thus busting one of the largest trusts of all the time – the power trust. It took six years to get Initiative #1 on the ballot and during this time Goss revived and rebuilt the Washington State Grange which enjoyed gains in membership due primarily to the Grange proposing to do battle for the people.

In 1924 Goss was elected to the National Grange Executive Committee and served as Chair from 1929 to 1933.

From 1927-1933 Goss served as the Director of the Federal Land Bank at Spokane and in 1933 President Roosevelt appointed him Land Bank Commissioner, a position he held until 1940.

In 1933 Brother Goss met with President Roosevelt and urged construction of Grand Coulee Dam. He also helped lead farmers to increase food production and to assist in the war effort. Often he was called in for consultation by the White House as well as by government department heads. Brother Goss was one of the keenest students of economics and finance in the country and a pioneer in the Federal Land Bank field. As Land Bank Commissioner he was in charge of the largest system of cooperative credit in history and will always be remembered as a friend by thousands of distressed farmers. Goss helped to formulate a program of cooperative production credit which later became the model for the Farm Credit Administration. In addition, he was active in helping to solve world agricultural problems and assisted in the organization of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers.

In 1941 Albert S. Goss was elected the 14^th Master of the National Grange and was serving in this position when he collapsed and died on October 25, 1950 after finishing an address on the role of the nation’s farmers in American mobilization to the 19^th annual Herald Tribune Forum, an annual public meeting for the discussion of subjects of current interest, in New York City.

Under National Master Goss’ guidance the Grange reached its peak in membership and achieved international prominence. In 1943, with Brother Goss’ leadership, the National Grange purchased and took occupancy of the National Headquarters building at 744 Jackson Place NW in Washington, DC. In 1947, Brother Goss unveiled the community service contest underwritten by the Sears Roebuck Foundation, and in 1949 Worthy Master Goss appointed Brother Wib Justi as the National Grange’s first director of Youth Activities.

Additionally, Goss worked on President Truman’s Advisory Board for the Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion in Washington, D.C., was a director for Rural Scouting, a committeeman on mobilization policy for the National Securities Resources Board, and served as Vice Chairman of the National Highway Users’ Conference.

Brother Goss was commonly referred to as a ‘man of distinction’ and wherever Goss went he left things stronger.

Bibliography:

• Gardner, Charles M. “The Grange – Friend of the Farmer” 1867-1947. Washington, DC: National Grange. 1949.
• Howard, David H. “People, Pride and Progress: 125 Years of the Grange in America.” Washington, DC: National Grange. 1992.
• Norwood, Gus. “Washington Grangers Celebrate a Century.” Seattle, Washington: Washington State Grange. 1988.
• Robinson, William L. “The Grange: 1867-1967 First Century of Service and Evolution.” Washington, DC: National Grange. 1966