James Enoy Ray Jr. (January 12, 1874 – September 10, 1934), better known as J. Enos Ray Jr., was an American politician and lawyer from Maryland. He served as a member of the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the Maryland General Assembly, legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House ...

from 1904 to 1908.

Early life

James Enoy Ray Jr. was born on January 12, 1874, in Chillum,

Prince George's County, Maryland Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it ...

, to Gertrude (née Shreve) and James Enos Ray. He attended public schools in Chillum. He graduated from the Maryland Agricultural College (later the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

) in 1892 with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

. He graduated from

Georgetown Law School Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment, with over ...

with a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

and

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

on April 8, 1897.

Career

Ray was 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. Ray served as a member of the

, representing Prince George's County, from 1904 to 1908. He served as the speaker pro tempore in 1906 and speaker of the house in 1908. He served as a presidential elector in 1909. He lost the 1909 bid for

Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single ...

and the 1910 election for U.S. Congress. He was appointed state auditor in 1912. He served from 1913 to 1918. Ray worked as a lawyer. He worked for the law firm Ray & Keefer. He also served as president of Prince George's Bank and Trust Company and director of Lincoln National Bank. He served as chair of the state tax commission, starting in 1924. He was collector of internal revenue at

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. He was a member of the Democratic State Central Committee. He was serving as chairman of the Democratic State Central Committee from 1923 to his death. He was elected as president of the University of Maryland Alumni Association in June 1933.

Personal life

Ray married Isabel Arthur. Ray died on September 10, 1934, in Chillum. He was buried at

Rock Creek Cemetery Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth (Washington, D.C.), Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., across ...

in Washington, D.C.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, James Enoy Jr. 1874 births 1934 deaths Politicians from Prince George's County, Maryland University System of Maryland alumni Georgetown University Law Center alumni Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Speakers of the Maryland House of Delegates Maryland lawyers Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery 20th-century members of the Maryland General Assembly