Ross Allen Maxwell (June 9, 1904 - June 6, 1993) was an American geologist and the first superintendent of Big Bend National Park. Born near Chandler, Indian Territory (modern-day Oklahoma), Maxwell attended the University of Oklahoma and then Northwestern University, from which he earned a Ph.D. in geology in 1936. Later that year he took a job with the National Park Service as a junior geologist and moved to the Big Bend region of Texas to participate in a geological survey of the region for the National Park Service. After the survey ended in 1937, he moved to Arizona where he worked at National Monument sites. Maxwell returned to the Big Bend region in June 1944 after he was named the first superintendent of the newly created Big Bend National Park. Maxwell served in this capacity until 1952, when he joined the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin. He retired from the University of Texas in 1969. Maxwell authored several books, including The Big Bend of the Rio Grande: A Guide to the Rocks, Geologic History, and Settlers of the Area of Big Bend National Park. Maxwell married Helen Newlin (December 25, 1905 - February 9, 1983) in 1930, with whom he had two children. Ross and Helen were married for fifty-four years until her death in 1983.