Robert Andrew Gray (1882–1975) was an American politician from Florida. From 1930 to 1961, he served as

Florida Secretary of State The Secretary of State of Florida is an executive officer of the state government of the U.S. state of Florida, established since the original 1838 Constitution of Florida, state constitution. Like the corresponding officials in other states, th ...

. To date, he is the longest-serving Secretary of State. Earlier in his career he represented Gadsden County in the

Florida Legislature The Florida Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. State of Florida. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article III, Section 1 of the Florida Cons ...

Early life

Robert Andrew Gray was born in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

in 1882 to a Methodist preacher and his wife. The family moved to North Florida when Gray was six months old, settling near

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...

. In 1899 at age 16, Gray enrolled at the

South Florida Military College The South Florida Military and Educational Institute was established in 1895 by Evander M. Law in Bartow, Florida, Bartow, Florida, United States, and is considered one of several predecessors of the University of Florida. It was renamed the Sout ...

, where he studied under former

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

General

Evander M. Law Evander McIver Law (August 7, 1836 – October 31, 1920) was an author, teacher, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. Early life Law was born in Darlington, South Carolina. His grandfather and his two great-grandfathers had fo ...

, whom Gray credited to having a "formative effect" on his life. After General Law was forced to resign his position at the school due to political controversy in 1903, Gray and his fellow students refused to graduate and dropped out of school. Later that same year, Gray married "Grace Mullins, the daughter of a local Baptist minister". The two moved to

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Gadsden County Gadsden County is a county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,826. Its county seat is Quincy. Gadsden County is included in the Tallahassee, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. Ga ...

Political career

After a brief period in education and the newspaper industry, Gray ran for the Gadsden County seat in the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

in 1910 and won. Gray would serve in the House until 1913. After his time in the legislature, Gray continued work in government, working as a personal secretary for Governor

Park Trammell Park Monroe Trammell (April 9, 1876 – May 8, 1936), was an American attorney and politician from the state of Florida. Trammell represented Florida in the United States Senate from 1917 until his death in 1936. As chair of the Senate Naval Aff ...

and for the State Auditor's office. In 1930, Florida Governor Doyle Carlton appointed Gray Secretary of State, a position he would hold for the next 31 years through several gubernatorial administrations. He left office in 1961, as the longest-serving secretary of state. In office, Gray was remembered as being

fiscally conservative Fiscal conservatism is a political and economic philosophy regarding fiscal policy and fiscal responsibility with an ideological basis in capitalism, individualism, limited government, and ''laissez-faire'' economics.M. O. Dickerson et al., ''An ...

and deeply committed to public service.

Legacy

The R. A. Gray Building at 500 South Bronough Street in

houses the

Florida State Archives The State Library and Archives of Florida is the central repository for the archives of state government for the state of Florida. It is located at the R.A. Gray Building on 500 South Bronough Street in Tallahassee, Florida, Florida's capital. M ...

and State Museum of Florida.

Books

* *

References

External links

Findagrave entryWhat's in a Name - R.A. Gray Building (The Florida Channel)Pictures of Secretary Gray from the Florida State Library and Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Robert Andrew 1882 births 1975 deaths Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives People from Gadsden County, Florida 20th-century American politicians Secretaries of State of Florida