James Gray (February 18, 1862 – September 8, 1916) was a journalist and the 19th

mayor of Minneapolis This is a list of mayors of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The current mayor is Jacob Frey (DFL). Minneapolis From 1867 to 1878 mayors were elected for a 1-year term. Beginning in 1878 the term was extended to 2 years. As the city became larger and mor ...

Life and career

Gray was born in

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

, Scotland to John Gray and Elizabeth Ronald. Gray's family emigrated to the United States in 1866, settling in Iowa. He attended schools in

Dubuque County, Iowa Dubuque County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 99,266, making it the eighth-most populous county in Iowa. The county seat is Dubuque. The county is named for Julien Dubuque, the first Eur ...

and

Jackson County, Iowa Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,485. The county seat is Maquoketa. History The county was formed on December 21, 1837, and named after US President Andrew Jackson. In ...

. After working as a teacher for a year, Gray moved to Minneapolis in 1880. He attended the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

, graduating as valedictorian in 1885. After graduating, he began working with the ''

Minneapolis Tribune The ''Star Tribune'' is the largest newspaper in Minnesota. It originated as the ''Minneapolis Tribune'' in 1867 and the competing ''Minneapolis Daily Star'' in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s, Minneapolis's competing newspapers were consolida ...

'' as a reporter. When the Minneapolis Times was founded in 1889, he moved there to work as an editor. He was later promoted to managing editor and also served as a special correspondent in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

during the run up to the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. Based partially on the name recognition he gained from his work as a correspondent, Gray ran as the Democratic nominee for mayor of Minneapolis in 1898 and won. He ran for re-election in 1900 but was defeated by A. A. Ames. After leaving politics he became an editor with the ''Minneapolis Journal''. Gray died on September 8, 1916. He is buried in

Lakewood Cemetery Lakewood Cemetery is a large private, non-sectarian cemetery located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is located at 3600 Hennepin Avenue at the southern end of the Uptown area. It is noted for its chapel which is on the National Re ...

in Minneapolis.

Electoral history

* Minneapolis Mayoral Election, 1898 ** James Gray 16,066 ** Edward E. Webster 9,494 ** Albert Alonzo Ames 5,266 ** William J. Dean 923 ** Frank A. Malmquist 599 * Minneapolis Mayoral Election, 1900 ** Albert Alonzo Ames 17,292 ** James Gray 12,732 ** William J. Dean 9,140 ** Ole B. Olson 227 ** Asa Kingsbury 217

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, James 1862 births 1916 deaths Mayors of Minneapolis Journalists from Minnesota University of Minnesota alumni People from Falkirk Burials at Lakewood Cemetery Scottish emigrants to the United States 19th-century American politicians