Avrum Gross

Avrum M. Gross (February 25, 1936 – May 8, 2018) was an American lawyer who served as the Attorney General of Alaska from 1974 through 1980.

Avrum Gross
Attorney General of Alaska
In office
1974–1980
GovernorJay Hammond
Preceded byNorman Gorsuch
Succeeded byWilson Condon
Personal details
Born(1936-02-25)February 25, 1936
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedMay 8, 2018(2018-05-08) (aged 82)
Southeast Alaska, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
ChildrenAl
EducationAmherst College (BA)
University of Michigan (JD)

Early life and education

Gross was born on February 25, 1936, in New York City. He was raised in New Jersey and was a pre-college student at the Juilliard School for violin.[1] He graduated from Amherst College in 1957[2] and earned his J.D. degree from the University of Michigan, before moving to Alaska in 1961.[1]

Career

Gross worked for the Alaska Legislature, where he met Jay Hammond. He worked as special counsel on fisheries for the Alaska Department of Law before going into private practice. Hammond, who was elected Governor of Alaska in 1974, appointed Gross as his attorney general, though Hammond was a Republican and Gross was a Democrat.

Hammond explained his decision to appoint Gross by saying "Well, I think it is the obligation to appoint the best legal talent available to fill position of attorney general. And to me Av Gross is right up there at the top, even his cohorts and colleagues agree.’"[3]

As attorney general, Gross helped establish the Alaska Permanent Fund[1] and ended the practice of plea bargaining.[4] He served as attorney general until 1980, before returning to private practice.[1]

Personal life

His son, Al Gross, was a candidate for the United States Senate in the 2020 election.[5] Gross died on May 8, 2018, from pancreatic cancer.[1]

References
  1. "Avrum Gross: Gov. Hammond's 'long-haired hippie' ally, attorney general and in-house antagonist". Ktoo.org. June 6, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  2. "Avrum M. Gross '57 | 1957 | Amherst College". Amherst.edu. May 8, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  3. Hsieh, Jeremy (June 6, 2018). "Avrum Gross: Gov. Hammond's 'long-haired hippie' ally, attorney general and in-house antagonist". KTOO. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  4. "Alaska Ending Plea Bargaining To Raise Confidence in Justice - The New York Times". Nytimes.com. July 12, 1975. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  5. "Gross announces candidacy for Alaska US Senate seat". www.alaskasnewssource.com.
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