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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]

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