George Washington Ray (February 3, 1844 – January 10, 1925) was a

United States representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from New York and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of New York The United States District Court for the Northern District of New York (in case citations, N.D.N.Y.) serves one of the 94 judicial districts in the United States and one of four in the state of New York. Appeals from the Northern District of Ne ...

Education and career

Born on February 3, 1844, in Otselic,

Chenango County Chenango County is a county located in the south-central section U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,220. Its county seat is Norwich. The county's name originates from an Oneida word meaning 'large bull-thist ...

, New York, Ray attended the common schools and Norwich Academy. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, he served as a private in Company B of the Ninetieth New York Volunteers, and as a brigade clerk for the First Brigade, First Division, Nineteenth Army Corps. He was discharged at the close of the war. He read law and was admitted to the bar in November 1867. He then was a

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer m ...

and in private practice in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, New York. He was Chairman of the Republican county committee of Chenango County and was a member of the Republican state committee in 1880.

Congressional service

Ray was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

from

New York's 21st congressional district The 21st congressional district of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives that is currently represented by Republican Elise Stefanik. The district is rural and includes all of Clinton, Essex, Fra ...

to 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

of the

48th United States Congress The 48th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1883, ...

, serving from March 4, 1883, to March 3, 1885. Following his first term in Congress, he was a member of the board of education of Norwich Academy and Union Free School. He was elected from

New York's 26th congressional district The 26th congressional district of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in Western New York. It includes parts of Erie and Niagara counties. The district includes the cities of Buffalo, Lackawa ...

to the United States House of Representatives of the

52nd United States Congress The 52nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 189 ...

and to the five succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1891, to September 11, 1902. He was Chairman of the Committee on Levees and Improvements of the Mississippi River in the

54th United States Congress The 54th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1895, ...

, Chairman of the Committee on Invalid Pensions in the

55th United States Congress The 55th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1897, to M ...

and Chairman of the

Committee on the Judiciary Committee on the Judiciary may mean: * United States House Committee on the Judiciary * United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standi ...

in the 56th and

57th United States Congress The 57th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1901, to ...

es. He resigned from Congress to accept a federal judgeship.

Federal judicial service

Ray received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the president of a federal official when the U.S. Senate is in recess. Under the U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause, the President is empowered to nominate, and with the a ...

from President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

on September 12, 1902, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Alfred Conkling Coxe Sr. He was nominated to the same position by President Roosevelt on December 2, 1902. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on December 8, 1902, and received his commission the same day. On or about April 29, 1920, President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

certified Ray involuntarily as disabled in accordance with the act of February 25, 1919, , which entitled the President to appoint an additional judge for the court and provided that no successor to the judge certified as disabled be appointed. Frank Cooper was appointed to the additional judgeship. Ray's service terminated on January 10, 1925, due to his death in Norwich. He was interred in Mount Hope Cemetery in Norwich.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, George 1844 births 1925 deaths Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York New York (state) lawyers People from Chenango County, New York People from Norwich, New York Union Army soldiers United States district court judges appointed by Theodore Roosevelt 20th-century American judges Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)