William Hallett Ray (May 25, 1825 – May 7, 1909) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician, farmer, and merchant. Born in Clementsport,

Annapolis Valley The Annapolis Valley is a valley and region in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the western part of the Nova Scotia peninsula, formed by a trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the Bay of Fundy. St ...

, where he worked as a farmer and a merchant, Ray was elected to the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia of the province of Nova Scotia ...

for Annapolis County in an 1864 by-election held after

James William Johnston James W. Johnston (29 August 1792 – 21 November 1873) was a Nova Scotia lawyer and politician. He served as Premier of the colony from 1857 to 1860 and again from 1864. He was also ''Government Leader'' prior to the granting of responsible ...

was named to the bench. He was first elected to represent the

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

electoral district in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

on September 20, 1867, and remained in office until his defeat in September 1878. Ray was re-elected for one more term in the June 1882 elections. He was a member of the

Anti-Confederation Party ''Anti-Confederation'' was the name used in what is now the Maritimes by several parties opposed to Canadian Confederation. The Anti-Confederation parties were accordingly opposed by the Confederation Party, that is, the Conservative and Liberal- ...

until January 1869, when he left it for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. In 1887, Ray was named to the

Legislative Council of Nova Scotia The Legislative Council of Nova Scotia was the upper house of the legislature of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It existed from 1838 to May 31, 1928. From the establishment of responsible government in 1848, members were appointed by the ...

.''The Canadian parliamentary companion, 1897'', AJ Gemmill
/ref> He married Henrietta Ditmars in 1848. Ray also served as lieutenant-colonel in the county militia. He died in Clementsport at the age of 83.

Election results

References

1825 births 1909 deaths Nova Scotia pre-Confederation MLAs Anti-Confederation Party MPs Canadian people of British descent Canadian people of Dutch descent Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Nova Scotia Nova Scotia Liberal Party MLCs People from Annapolis County, Nova Scotia Colony of Nova Scotia people {{NovaScotia-MLA-stub