Foss was born in
Modum,
Buskerud county, Norway. He was the son of a small tenant farmer, Anders Knudsen Fossen and his wife Karen Marie Henriksdatter. Foss immigrated to the United States in 1887. A lifelong proponent of the
temperance movement and the
Populist Party, Foss edited several temperance publications. In 1886–87, he was editor of the
Dakota Bladet magazine in
Portland, North Dakota. From 1888 to 1893 served as editor for the Norwegian language newspaper
Normanden in
Grand Forks, North Dakota. In 1892, Foss was nominated as the North Dakota
Populist Party candidate for Congress, but lost the election. Afterwards Foss gave up both politics and the newspaper business and became a grain dealer, eventually settling in
Minot, North Dakota during 1906. Foss is most associated with his 1885 novel,
Husmandsgutte, (English: ''The Cotter's Son''). The book, which tells the story of Ole Haugen, the son of the poor farmer in
Sigdal, Norway, is considered by many to be a most accurate depiction of the lifestyle of farm workers in Norway. The popularity of ''The Cotter's Son
serial was credited with saving the Decorah Posten from bankruptcy. The Cotter's Son'' has long enjoyed popularity in Norway, where numerous editions have been published. Foss was married twice and had seven children. He died during 1929 in Minot, North Dakota. ==Selected works==