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.
Early life and education
Gross was born on February 25, 1936, in New York City. He was raised in South Orange, New Jersey, and was a pre-college student at the
Juilliard School for violin.
[Doherty, Nancy. "Alaska's original AG", Anchorage Daily News, March 22, 1976. Accessed December 4, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "He grew up and went to school in South Orange, N.J., a suburb of New York City."][ He graduated from Amherst College in 1957]
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.’"
As attorney general, Gross helped establish the Alaska Permanent Fund
Personal life
His son, Al Gross, was a candidate for the United States Senate in the 2020 election.
