Edward Arthur Gray (February 28, 1925 – April 10, 2007) was an American politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, Gray was elected to the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

in 1988, defeating Republican incumbent Dick Schermerhorn. He served one term before losing reelection to Bill Larkin. Gray previously held office as the longest-serving mayor of his home town of Port Jervis, New York. The town's post office building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places was named after him in 2008.

Early life

Edward Arthur Gray was born on February 28, 1925, in Port Jervis, New York to his parents Arthur A. Grey and Elizabeth Brown Gray. He Grew up in Port Jervis, graduating from Port Jervis High School in 1943. Gray served in the military as junior grade Lieutenant in the United States Naval Reserve during World War II.

Political career

Gray entered politics when he was elected as the Mayor of Port Jervis, taking office in 1978. He served five full terms as the mayor, and was elected to a sixth, but resigned the mayorship in 1988 after he was elected to the

for the 39th district. He was elected as a Democrat, defeating the incumbent Republican Dick Schermerhorn, who had served as state senator for 16 years. Gray was sworn in on January 1, 1989, serving one full term in the State Senate. He ran for re-election in the 1990 New York State Senate Election but lost to Assemblyman Bill Larkin.

Personal life

He married Helen A. Gray in 1949 and the couple had 2 kids together. He died on April 10, 2007, in Port Jervis, being survived by his wife and his 2 kids.

References

1925 births 2007 deaths People from Port Jervis, New York Democratic Party New York (state) state senators 20th-century American legislators 20th-century New York (state) politicians {{NewYork-mayor-stub