Bass represented New Hampshire's Second Congressional District, the seat his son currently holds, from 1955 to 1963. He had previously served four terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and was president of the state Senate from 1949 to 1951.
After four terms in Congress, Bass ran for an open U.S. Senate seat, but lost the election to Democrat Thomas McIntyre '37, according to Charlie Bass. He then served as a member of the Republican National Commitee of New Hampshire from 1964 to 1968, and supported the unsuccessful 1968 presidential campaign of then-Gov. Nelson Rockefeller '30, R-N.Y.
Bass later served on the Peterborough Board of Selectmen from 1972 to 1976, after which he largely retired from political life, aside from advising his son's unsuccessful run for Congress in 1980. Charlie Bass said he valued his father's mentorship and advice during his own political career, especially when his own election bids were unsuccessful.
"My recollection of him is as a mentor and a friend, someone there to talk to," Charlie Bass said. "He was a great source of inspiration and counsel."
Charlie Bass said that even through the later years of his father's life, the two often took walks around his New Hampshire farm and talked about "the big issues of the day." Charlie Bass said that above all, his father valued patience and cooperation in political discourse.
"The message that my father tried to convey was of being open-minded and tolerant of other people's ideas," Charlie Bass said. "[He thought that] tolerance would make the system survive in the long run."
Bass was born in East Walpole, Mass., in 1912. He had a politically-conscious upbringing, as his father, Robert Bass, was governor of New Hampshire at the time of his birth, according to congressional records.
After graduating from Dartmouth, Bass attended Harvard Law School and clerked for the First Circuit Court of Appeals. He served as an Air Force intelligence officer in China during World War II, earning the Bronze Star and the Yun-Ma Medal from the Chinese government.
Charlie Bass said his father had a "tremendous appreciation" for Dartmouth, which all three of his sons attended.
Although he did not participate in politics in the later years of his life, Bass remained active in his home community of Peterborough, Board of Selectman Chair Barbara Miller said in an interview with The Dartmouth. Bass attended the town's Memorial Day parade in his World War II uniform every year after his retirement, according to Miller.
"He was always of good humor, always very sharp, and definitely did what he could to participate," Miller said.
Bass was honored by the Boston Cane Award, which is given by many New England towns to their oldest resident, Miller said. Although some residents decline the award due to its association with old age, Bass happily accepted the award.
Bass was also a proud family man, according to his ex-son-in-law James Kelly, who said that Bass still welcomed him and his children after Kelly and Bass' daughter divorced.
"He and his children have great family values," Kelly said. "He had a really personal air about him that really kept people together."
Having lived through the 20th century, Bass had a number of "unique" life experiences, and constantly expressed happiness to have witnessed so much history, according to Charlie Bass.
"I don't look at his death in a negative way at all," he said. "He did so many things, and included me in a lot of it."
Bass is survived by his second wife, Rosaly, and his five children, Alexander Bass, Katharine Cloud, William Bass, Charlie Bass and Posy Bass. He is also survived by his two stepsons, George and Matthew Riley, as well as 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, according to the Union Leader.
