Carss born in
Pella,
Marion County,
Iowa and subsequently moved with his parents to
Des Moines, Iowa, in 1867. There he attended the public schools, studied civil and
mechanical engineering and followed that profession for a number of years. He moved to
St. Louis County, Minnesota in 1893 and settled in
Proctor where he found work as a locomotive engineer and became a member of the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. Carss was elected as a
Farmer-Labor candidate to the
66th congress (March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1921) from
Minnesota's 8th congressional district. Carss was fond of British literature, reciting selections from
Shakespeare,
Carlyle and
Burns by heart. He sponsored pro-labor legislation during his first term, supporting
old age pensions (anticipating the
Social Security system),
women's rights and (to the dismay of some of his supporters) the
Prohibition Amendment. Carss was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection as a
Democrat in 1920 to the
67th congress and for election in 1922 to the
68th congress. He was elected on the
Farmer-Labor ticket to the
69th and
70th congresses (March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1929); but was defeated for reelection in 1928 to the
71st congress. Carss moved to
Duluth in 1929 where he resumed his position as a locomotive engineer at Proctor. He was unsuccessful in his 1930 bid for election to the
72nd congress. He died in Duluth on May 31, 1931, and was interred in Oneota Cemetery. == References ==