Richard Belmont Ray (February 2, 1927 – May 29, 1999) was an American politician who 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for

Georgia's 3rd congressional district Georgia's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. The district is currently represented by Republican Drew Ferguson. The district's boundaries have been redrawn following the 2010 census, which gra ...

from 1983 to 1993.

Early life

Ray was born in

Fort Valley, Georgia Fort Valley is a city in and the county seat of Peach County, Georgia, Peach County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 8,780. The city is in the Warner Robi ...

, and graduated from Crawford County High School in

Roberta, Georgia Roberta is a city in Crawford County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,007 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Macon Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Creek Agency In the early nineteenth century, Indian agent Benjamin Hawki ...

, in 1944.

Career

After graduating from high school, Ray served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, from 1944 to 1946. After the war, Ray worked as a farmer and local businessman before serving as mayor of

Perry, Georgia Perry is a city in Houston and Peach counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the county seat of Houston County. The population was 13,839 at the 2010 census, up from 9,602 at the 2000 census. As of 2019 the estimated population was 17,894. I ...

, from 1964 to 1970. During that time,

Sam Nunn Samuel Augustus Nunn Jr. (born September 8, 1938) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Georgia (1972–1997) as a member of the Democratic Party. After leaving Congress, Nunn co-founded the Nuclear Threat Initia ...

was city attorney, and after Nunn's election to 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 ...

in 1972, Ray became Nunn's administrative assistant. In 1982, Ray was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

representing

. He was re-elected to that position four times. After the 1990 Census, Georgia gained a new congressional district. Despite this, the Democratic-controlled Georgia General Assembly dismantled

Georgia's 6th congressional district Georgia's 6th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. , it is represented by Democrat Lucy McBath. The Georgia 6th district's boundaries were redrawn following the 2020 census to be significantly more ...

and shifted much of the southern portion of Newt Gingrich's old territory into Ray's

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

-based district. However, the new district was considerably more urban and

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 ...

than Ray's old district. Ray lost to Republican state Senator

Mac Collins Michael Allen "Mac" Collins (October 15, 1944 – November 20, 2018) was an American businessman and politician. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 2005, representing (previously from 1993 to ...

, a resident of the former Gingrich territory, by almost 10 points.

Personal life

After his congressional service, Ray resided in both

Byron, Georgia Byron is a city located primarily in Peach County, Georgia, United States. A small portion of the city also extends into parts of Houston and Crawford counties. The population was estimated to be 5,149 in 2019 by the Census Bureau, an increasi ...

and

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...

. He died in Macon, Georgia in 1999.

References

External links

* Retrieved on 2008-01-26 * * 1927 births 1999 deaths People from Fort Valley, Georgia United States Navy sailors United States Navy personnel of World War II Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Mayors of places in Georgia (U.S. state) People from Crawford County, Georgia 20th-century American politicians {{GeorgiaUS-mayor-stub