Philip A. Ray

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Philip A. Ray
U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce
In office
1959–1961
PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded byW. Walter Williams
Succeeded byEdward Gudeman
Personal details
Born
Philip Alexander Ray

(1911-05-27)May 27, 1911
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
DiedJuly 15, 1970(1970-07-15) (aged 59)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
RelationsJoseph Lafayette Rawlins (grandfather)
Parent(s)William Wallace Ray
Leda Rawlins Ray
Alma materStanford University

Philip Alexander Ray (May 27, 1911 – July 15, 1970)[1] was an American lawyer and author who served as the Under Secretary of Commerce under President Eisenhower.

Early life[edit]

Ray was born, and raised, in Salt Lake City on May 27, 1911 where his father practiced law. He was a son of William Wallace Ray (1880–1957) and Leda (née Rawlins) Ray (1880–1957), and had two brothers, Joseph and William Ray, and a sister, Julia Hills Richland.[1] His maternal grandfather was Joseph Lafayette Rawlins, a United States senator from Utah who had previously served as a delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from Utah Territory's at-large congressional district.[2]

He was educated at Stanford University and served in U.S. Navy Intelligence during World War II.[1]

Career[edit]

From 1954 to 1956, Ray served as general counsel of the Department of Commerce,[3][4] before he was appointed Under Secretary under Sinclair Weeks in 1959.[5] He served until President John F. Kennedy took office in January 1961 and he was succeeded by Edward Gudeman.[6] After serving in government, Ray relocated to San Francisco where he practiced corporate law as a partner in Kelso, Cotton, Seligan and Ray with Louis O. Kelso.[7]

Ray was also deeply interested in Latin American affairs, and gave lectures on the subject and wrote a book, entitled South Wind Red: Our Hemispheric Crisis, originally published in 1962.[8]

Personal life[edit]

After a short illness, he died in San Francisco, California on July 15, 1970. He was survived by his widow, Denece,[9] and was buried at Targhee Cemetery in Fremont County, Idaho.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Philip A. Ray, 58, Ex‐Commerce Aide". The New York Times. 16 July 1970. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  2. ^ "SENATOR ELECTED IN UTAH.; Ex-Congressman Joseph L. Rawlins Chosen -- Had 32 Votes to Thatcher's 29". The New York Times. 4 February 1897. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  3. ^ I.C.C. Practitioners' Journal. Association of Interstate Commerce Commission Practitioners. 1955. p. 423. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  4. ^ "San Franciscan Named For a Commerce Post". The New York Times. 15 August 1959. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  5. ^ "COMMERCE AIDE BACKED; Philip Ray Is Confirmed as the Under Secretary". The New York Times. 28 August 1959. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Senators Approve Williams for Post". The New York Times. 31 January 1961. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  7. ^ Narvaez, Alfonso A. (21 February 1991). "Louis O. Kelso, Who Advocated Worker-Capitalism, Is Dead at 77". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  8. ^ Ray, Philip A. (2013). South Wind Red: Our Hemispheric Crisis. Literary Licensing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-4940-5903-3. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  9. ^ "Sundry Nominations: Hearings Before the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, 86th Congress, First and Second Sessions on Nominations for Civil Aeronautics Board, Coast and Geodetic Survey, Coast Guard, Commerce, Federal Aviation Agency, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Maritime Board, Federal Power Commission, Federal Trade Commission and Interstate Commerce Commission. February 25, 1959 Through May 25, 1960". 1961.