George Gray (May 4, 1840 – August 7, 1925) was a United States senator from Delaware and a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the United States Circuit Courts for the Third Circuit.

Education and career

Gray was born on May 4, 1840, in New Castle, New Castle County, Delaware, son of

Andrew C. Gray Andrew C. Gray (1804–1885) was a lawyer, banker, businessman, and public official in the U.S. state of Delaware. Gray was born in Kent County, Delaware, and graduated from the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University, in 1821. He becam ...

(1804–1885), a lawyer, banker, businessman, and public official in the U.S. state of Delaware. The younger Gray attended the common schools, received an

Artium Baccalaureus Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1859 from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), an

Artium Magister A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in 1863 from the same institution, attended

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

, then

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

with his father and was admitted to the bar in 1863. He entered private practice in New Castle from 1863 to 1879. He was the

Attorney General of Delaware The attorney general of Delaware is a constitutional officer of the U.S. state of Delaware, and is the chief law officer and the head of the State Department of Justice. On January 1, 2019, Kathy Jennings was sworn in as the 46th attorney general o ...

from 1879 to 1885. Gray was a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague from 1900 to 1925.

Congressional service

Gray was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of United States Senator Thomas F. Bayard. He was reelected in 1887 and 1893 and served from March 18, 1885, to March 3, 1899. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1899. He was Chairman of the Committee on Patents for the

53rd United States Congress The 53rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1893 ...

; Chairman of the Committee on Privileges and Elections for the 53rd United States Congress; and Chairman of the Committee on Revolutionary Claims for the

55th United States Congress The 55th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1897, to M ...

Federal judicial service

On March 29, 1899, Gray received a recess appointment from President William McKinley to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the United States Circuit Courts for the Third Circuit, to a new joint seat authorized by 30 Stat. 846. He was nominated to the same position by McKinley on December 11, 1899. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 18, 1899, and received his commission the same day. On December 31, 1911, the Circuit Courts were abolished and he thereafter served only on the Court of Appeals. His service ended when he retired on June 1, 1914.

Presidential consideration

Gray was proposed as a nominee for the Presidency at the

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...

and

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...

Democratic Conventions. In 1904, he received only 12 votes, and in 1908 he received 50.5 votes, finishing second behind William Jennings Bryan.

Other service

Gray was a member of the Joint High Commission which met in Quebec, Canada, in August 1898 to settle differences between the United States and Canada. He was a member of the commission to arrange the terms of the Treaty of Paris (1898) between the United States and Spain in 1898. He was Chairman of the commission to investigate conditions of the coal strike in Pennsylvania in 1902. He was appointed by President McKinley to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, Netherlands in 1900. He was reappointed in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt, in 1912 by President William Howard Taft and in 1920 by President Woodrow Wilson. He was a member of several commissions established to arbitrate various international disputes. He was a member of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution from 1890 to 1925. He was Vice President and trustee of the

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington D.C. with operations in Europe, South and East Asia, and the Middle East as well as the United States. Founded in ...

Death

Gray died on August 7, 1925, in Wilmington, Delaware. He was interred in Presbyterian Cemetery in New Castle.

References

Sources

Delaware's Members of Congress

External links

* Delaware Historical Society
website
505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161 * University of Delaware
Library website
181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, George 1840 births 1925 deaths Princeton University alumni People from Wilmington, Delaware Delaware lawyers Delaware Democrats Delaware Attorneys General Democratic Party United States senators from Delaware Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit United States federal judges appointed by William McKinley Candidates in the 1904 United States presidential election Candidates in the 1908 United States presidential election 20th-century American politicians Burials in New Castle County, Delaware Members of the Permanent Court of Arbitration Harvard Law School alumni People from New Castle, Delaware American judges of international courts and tribunals People from New Castle County, Delaware