Lewis Cecil Gray (December 2, 1881 — November 18, 1952)American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 1953-02, Volume 35 (1), page 15

/ref> was an American agricultural economist. A prolific author of economic texts, his career included several academic posts and various federal government roles. His monumental ''History of Agriculture in the Southern United States to 1860'' is considered a major contribution to economic history and agricultural economics.News Notes and Comments. (1952). ''Agricultural History'', 26(4), page 165. Gray held key positions in

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

programs designed to alleviate land use problems arising from the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of both natural factors (severe drought) an ...

Early life

Gray was born in Liberty, Missouri, son of Lewis Pressley Gray and Hannah Elizabeth Chambliss. He completed his undergraduate studies at

William Jewell College William Jewell College is a private liberal arts college in Liberty, Missouri. It was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention and endowed with $10,000 by William Jewell. It was associated with the Missouri Baptist Conventi ...

in 1900. He worked as a secondary school principal prior to his graduate work at

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

, where he studied under R.T Ely, H.C. Taylor, and J.R. Commons. His Ph.D. in agricultural economics was awarded in 1911.

Academic career

Gray held several teaching positions in colleges and universities. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree, he taught economics and history at Oklahoma A&M. After earning his doctorate, he took a faculty position at

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, where a scholarship prize in Gray's honor is still given. In 1915, he relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where he joined the faculty of

George Peabody College for Teachers Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development (also known as Vanderbilt Peabody College, Peabody College, or simply Peabody) is the education school of Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. ...

(later subsumed by

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

History of Agriculture in the Southern United States to 1860

Gray's first major monograph was ''Introduction to agricultural economics'', published in 1924. He followed that, in 1933, with ''History of Agriculture in the Southern United States to 1860'', which is considered "a permanent contribution to economic history, agricultural economics, technical agriculture and to the general social and political history of the South." Gray began research for this monumental work in 1908 when he entered graduate school, and it was released in two volumes totaling over 1000 pages. Esther Katherine Thompson is credited as the assistant to the author. Cornell University has made the work available in its digital library.

Service in U.S. Department of Agriculture

Gray held several positions within the United States Department of Agriculture. In 1919, he assumed leadership of the Division of Land Economics, which was established that year. In this influential position, he oversaw various land utilization programs, and he was a leader in developing plans to retire submarginal agricultural land in order to support farm prices. During the

era of the 1930s, Gray took on an additional position as Chief of the Land Policy Section in the

Agricultural Adjustment Administration The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) was a United States federal law of the New Deal era designed to boost agricultural prices by reducing surpluses. The government bought livestock for slaughter and paid farmers subsidies not to plant on part ...

. After transferring to the

Resettlement Administration The Resettlement Administration (RA) was a New Deal U.S. federal agency created May 1, 1935. It relocated struggling urban and rural families to communities planned by the federal government. On September 1, 1937, it was succeeded by the Farm Se ...

, Gray was the principal author of ''Future of the Great Plains'',''The Future of the Great Plains'', United States. Great Plains Committee, 193

/ref> the comprehensive 1936 report of the Great Plains Committee.Worster, Donald. ''Dust Bowl: The southern plains in the 1930's'' (p.189). Oxford University Press. Gray assumed chairmanship of the committee, succeeding

Rexford Tugwell Rexford Guy Tugwell (July 10, 1891 – July 21, 1979) was an American economist who became part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's first "Brain Trust", a group of Columbia University academics who helped develop policy recommendations leading up to R ...

in that position. He was subsequently Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics.

Later life

Gray retired due to disability in 1941 following a cerebral hemorrhage.Worster, page 189 He died in Raleigh, North Carolina, on November 18, 1952. News of his death was reported in academic journals, including ''Agricultural History'' and ''American journal of agricultural economics''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Lewis Cecil 1881 births 1952 deaths 20th-century American economists American agricultural economists Dust Bowl William Jewell College alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Academic staff of the University of Saskatchewan Vanderbilt University faculty Oklahoma State University faculty New Deal agencies