John A. Gray (August 5, 1877 – July 17, 1952) was a

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

public servant and politician .He served in two of the state's constitutional offices as the North Dakota State Treasurer from 1935 to 1938, and as the

North Dakota Tax Commissioner The Office of State Tax Commissioner is a North Dakota state government agency responsible for licensing: *alcoholic beverage wholesalers, farm wineries, microbrew pubs, and out-of-state direct shippers, and *all suppliers selling or shipping alco ...

from 1939 to 1952.

Biography

John Gray was born on a farm in Hennepin County, Minnesota in 1877. He came to North Dakota in 1909, where he served as a master engineer in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was elected seven times as the County Auditor of Ransom County but he resigned that position to accept his appointment by the Governor to Deputy Tax Commissioner. He was then elected as the North Dakota State Treasurer in 1934, and served until term limitations prevented him from seeking re-election in 1938. He was then appointed as the Director of the Regulatory Department in January 1939, and served until May 1939 when he was appointed as the

.North Dakota Blue Book, 1942 He was the last Tax Commissioner to be appointed; it became an elected position in 1940. He was re-elected continuously until 1952, when he died on July 17 at the age of 74.

Notes

1877 births 1952 deaths State treasurers of North Dakota North Dakota Tax Commissioners People from Hennepin County, Minnesota {{NorthDakota-politician-stub