Cecil James Wray (1867–1955) was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

sports administrator, resident in England from 1913. He represented

on the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

from 1931 to 1934, and was on the Rugby Football Union in England for 25 years. He was born in

Patea Patea ( ) is the third-largest town in South Taranaki District, New Zealand. It is on the western bank of the Pātea River, 61 kilometres north-west of Whanganui on . Hāwera is 27 km to the north-west, and Waverley 17 km to the east ...

and attended

Wanganui Collegiate School Whanganui Collegiate School (formerly Wanganui Collegiate School; see here) is a state-integrated, coeducational, day and boarding, secondary school in Whanganui, Manawatū-Whanganui region, New Zealand. The school is affiliated to the Anglican c ...

1883–86. He was a rower, cricketer and rugby player. After working as a bank clerk he qualified as a lawyer. He practised as a lawyer in

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

, and was on the Wanganui Borough Council until he moved to England. During World War I he entertained New Zealand

soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

on leave in England. In the

1919 King's Birthday Honours The 1919 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...

, Wray was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, for services in connection with prisoners of war and the comfort of New Zealand troops in hospitals in the United Kingdom during the war. In 1935, he was awarded the

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver J ...

. Wray assisted William Pember Reeves in writing and revising ''The Long White Cloud'' (1898), a history of New Zealand. Wray died in Bournemouth.

References

*Obituary in ''Wanganui Chronicle'' 10 November 1955 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wray, Cecil 1867 births 1955 deaths International Olympic Committee members New Zealand sports executives and administrators 19th-century New Zealand lawyers New Zealand people of World War I Local politicians in New Zealand New Zealand Rugby Football Union officials People educated at Whanganui Collegiate School People from Patea New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand emigrants to the United Kingdom