William Henry Ray (December 14, 1812 – January 25, 1881) was an American politician. He served as a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Biography

Born on December 14, 1812 in

Amenia, New York Amenia is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 4,436 at the 2010 census. The town is on the eastern border of the county. History Amenia is one of the original towns formed by act of March 7, 1788. It compris ...

. Ray moved to

Oneida County, New York Oneida County is a county in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 232,125. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois League or ''Haudenos ...

, in 1813 with his parents who settled in Utica. He attended the common schools. He moved to Rushville, Illinois, in 1834. In 1849, he purchased the home at 417 West Washington Street in Rushville, IL. Ray hosted his personal friend

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

at the home for an overnight stay before Mr. Lincoln's public address in Rushville in October 1858. Today the home is owned by the Schuyler County Architecture Foundation and is still known as the Ray House. A capital campaign for the full restoration of the Ray House by the Schuyler County Architecture Foundation is currently underway. In May 2019, the Ray House was added to the list of the 12 most endangered historic places in the State of Illinois. He engaged in mercantile pursuits. He was also interested in banking. He served as member of the first State Board of Equalization 1867–1869. Ray was elected as a Republican to the Forty-third Congress (March 4, 1873–March 3, 1875). He resumed his former business pursuits in Rushville, Illinois, and died there January 25, 1881. He was interred in Rushville Cemetery.

Family

He had been married twice. His brother in-law was

R. C. Chambers Robert Craig Chambers (January 16, 1832–April 11, 1901) was an American 19th-century businessman, minerals miner, banker, politician, sheriff, and silver mine supervisor. He had mining investments in many states, and was one of the best-known ...

, a politician and businessperson.

References

External links

* 1812 births 1881 deaths Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois People from Rushville, Illinois 19th-century American politicians People from Amenia, New York Politicians from Utica, New York {{Illinois-Representative-stub