Lyman Beecher Ray (August 17, 1831 – August 22, 1916) was an American politician from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. After learning the merchant trade, Ray moved west to

Kane County, Illinois Kane County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 515,269, making it the fifth-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Geneva, and its largest city is Aurora. Kane County is ...

, working in a shop for three years. He later opened a store in

Morris, Illinois Morris is a city in and the county seat of Grundy County, Illinois, United States and part of the southwest Chicago metropolitan area. The population was estimated at 15,053 in 2019. Description Morris is the Grundy County seat and has a larg ...

, operating it for thirty-three years and become a prominent citizen there. He was elected to one term in the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

and the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...

. In 1888, Ray was elected Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.

Biography

Lyman Beecher Ray was born in

Hinesburg, Vermont Hinesburg is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for Abel Hine, town clerk. The population was 4,698 at the 2020 census. The main settlement of Hinesburg in the center of town is a census-designated place (C ...

, on August 17, 1831. He was raised on the family farm and first attended public schools before receiving education at a private academy. He then taught school for several years, then worked for a year as a merchant's clerk. In 1852, he decided to move to

, and found work in a general store. Three years later, he moved to

, where he opened a store. Ray would run the Morris store for thirty-three years. Ray joined the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

upon its formation in 1856 and campaigned on behalf of Presidential candidate

John C. Frémont John Charles Frémont or Fremont (January 21, 1813July 13, 1890) was an American explorer, military officer, and politician. He was a U.S. Senator from California and was the first Republican nominee for president of the United States in 1856 ...

and gubernatorial candidate

William H. Bissell William Henry Bissell (April 25, 1811March 18, 1860) was the 11th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1857 until his death. He was one of the first successful Republican Party candidates in the U.S., winning the election of 1856 just two ...

. He would again campaign on behalf of the party in 1860. He was often a delegate to the state Republican conventions. In 1872, he was nominated by the party for a seat on the

and was elected to a two-year term. He was elected to the

in 1882, serving a four-year term. In 1888, he was nominated as Lieutenant Governor of Illinois on a ticket with

Joseph W. Fifer Joseph Wilson Fifer (October 28, 1840 – August 6, 1938) was the 19th Governor of Illinois, serving from 1889 to 1893. He also served as a member of the Illinois Senate from 1881 to 1883. "Private Joe" Fifer was born at Staunton, Virginia on ...

and was elected, retiring from his store. Ray was re-nominated to the office in 1892, but the ticket lost to

John Peter Altgeld John Peter Altgeld (December 30, 1847 – March 12, 1902) was an American politician and the 20th Governor of Illinois, serving from 1893 until 1897. He was the first Democrat to govern that state since the 1850s. A leading figure of the Progr ...

. In 1894, he was named president of the State League of Republican Clubs, and served as a member of the national organization. He became an advocate against

free silver Free silver was a major economic policy issue in the United States in the late 19th-century. Its advocates were in favor of an expansionary monetary policy featuring the unlimited coinage of silver into money on-demand, as opposed to strict adhe ...

. Ray married Julia N. Reading, the daughter of state representative James M. Reading, on December 20, 1858. They had one daughter (Julia E.). Ray died in on August 22, 1916 and was buried in Elmhurst Cemetery in

Joliet, Illinois Joliet ( ) is a city in Will County, Illinois, Will and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the cit ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Lyman Beecher 1831 births 1916 deaths Republican Party Illinois state senators Lieutenant Governors of Illinois Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Morris, Illinois People from Hinesburg, Vermont 19th-century American politicians People from Kane County, Illinois