John Lamar Ray (May 16, 1943 – April 2025) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician in Washington, D.C. Ray was an at-large member of the

Council of the District of Columbia The Council of the District of Columbia (or simply D.C. Council) is the legislative branch of the government of the District of Columbia. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the district is not part of any U.S. state and is overseen ...

from 1979 to 1997. Ray was a partner and member of the board of directors at the law firm

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP is a Los Angeles-based law firm of more than 450 attorneys and other professionals founded in 1965. The firm earned revenues of $316.9 million in 2017. Donna L. Wilson is the firm's Chief Executive and Managing Part ...

Early life

Ray was born on May 16, 1943 and raised in Toms Creek,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. He graduated from George Washington University School of Law in 1973. While a law school student, Ray interned at

Abe Fortas Abraham Fortas (June 19, 1910 – April 5, 1982) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1965 to 1969. Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Fortas graduated from Rho ...

' law firm. After graduating from law school, Ray clerked for D.C. Circuit Judge

Spottswood William Robinson III Spottswood William Robinson III (July 26, 1916 – October 11, 1998) was an American civil rights lawyer, jurist, and educator who served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ...

Political career

On January 8, 1979, Ray was appointed by the

District of Columbia Democratic State Committee The District of Columbia Democratic State Committee (DC Dems) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the District of Columbia. As of March 31, 2016, Democrats make up 76 percent of the registered voters in the District of Columbia, while 6 ...

to the at-large council seat vacated by

Marion Barry Marion Shepilov Barry (born Marion Barry Jr.; March 6, 1936 – November 23, 2014) was an American politician who served as mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991 and 1995 to 1999. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, Barr ...

, who had been sworn in as mayor a few days earlier. He was Barry's chosen successor. Ray went on to win the May 1

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

handily and then to be reelected in 1980, 1984, 1988, and 1992. Following Council Chairman John A. Wilson's suicide in May 1993, the council chose Ray to be acting chairman. Mayor

Sharon Pratt Kelly Sharon Pratt (born January 30, 1944), formerly Sharon Pratt Dixon and Sharon Pratt Kelly, is an American attorney and politician who was the mayor of the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1995, the first mayor born in the District of Columbia si ...

had backed another at-large council member, Linda Cropp, for the appointment and thought she had lined up the votes on the council, but

Charlene Drew Jarvis Charlene Drew Jarvis (born July 31, 1941, in Washington, D.C.David A. Clarke. Ray finished his term as at-large member, but he did not run for reelection in 1996.

Legal career

Ray worked for the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

from 1977 until 1978. By law, councilmembers other than the chairman are allowed to hold other employment. Ray was Of Counsel to the law firm Baker & Hostetler from 1988 to 1994. He joined

in 1995 and worked there since.

Death

On April 15, 2025, the Council of the District of Columbia announced that Ray had died at the age of 81.Washington D.C. Mourns the Loss of Former Councilmember John Ray, Remembering His Enduring Legacy
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References

External links

* 1943 births 2025 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers African-American people in Washington, D.C., politics George Washington University Law School alumni Members of the Council of the District of Columbia People associated with BakerHostetler People from Georgia (U.S. state) Washington, D.C., Democrats 20th-century Washington, D.C., politicians 20th-century African-American politicians {{WashingtonDC-politician-stub