Michael William Bray (September 25, 1889 – January 17, 1961) was an American lawyer and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. He was the

lieutenant governor of New York The lieutenant governor of New York is a Constitution of New York, constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governo ...

from 1933 to 1938.

Biography

Bray was born in Churubusco, New York on September 25, 1889, the son of John Bray and Hannah (Fahey) Bray. He graduated from

Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...

in 1911, and from

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary ...

in 1913. He commenced practice in

Utica, New York Utica () is the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most populous city in New York, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 census. It is located on the Mohawk River in the Mohawk Valley at the foot of the Adiro ...

. In 1924, he became Chairman of the Oneida County Democratic Committee, and he was Chairman of the

New York State Democratic Committee The New York State Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Its headquarters are in Manhattan, and it has an office in Albany, New York, Albany.

from 1928 to 1930. He was a delegate to the

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, events related to World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *Janu ...

and

1948 Democratic National Convention The 1948 Democratic National Convention was held at Philadelphia Convention Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 12 to July 15, 1948, and resulted in the nominations of President Harry S. Truman for a full term and Senator Alben W. ...

s. In

Governor

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

, former Governor

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was the 42nd governor of New York, serving from 1919 to 1920 and again from 1923 to 1928. He was the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party's presidential nominee in the 1 ...

and state Democratic Party chairman

James A. Farley James Aloysius Farley (May 30, 1888 – June 9, 1976) was an American politician who simultaneously served as chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and postmaster general under Pr ...

backed the nomination of Herbert H. Lehman for governor, over the opposition of

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was an American political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789, as the Tammany Society. It became the main local ...

and its allies. Lehman won, and as a peace offering Farley permitted Tammany to choose the candidate for lieutenant governor. Bray was nominated, and won the general election, defeating Republican

F. Trubee Davison Frederick Trubee Davison (February 7, 1896 – November 14, 1974) was an American World War I aviator, assistant United States Secretary of War, director of personnel for the Central Intelligence Agency, and president of the American Museum o ...

. (Prior to 1954 the governor and lieutenant governor of New York were elected separately. Each party's candidates for governor and lieutenant governor now run separately in the primary election, and on a single ballot in the general election.) Lehman and Bray were renominated and reelected in

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

as he defeated

Fred J. Douglas Fred James Douglas (September 14, 1869 – January 1, 1949) was a United States representative from New York. Born in Clinton, Worcester County, Massachusetts, he moved with his parents to Little Falls, New York, in 1874. He attended the public ...

. They won again in

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

, and Bray defeated Ralph K. Robertson. In

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

Bray was replaced as the lieutenant governor nominee by

Charles Poletti Charles Poletti (July 2, 1903 – August 8, 2002) was an American lawyer and politician. He became the 46th governor of New York in December 1942, and was the first person entirely of Italian-American ancestry to become the governor of a U.S. s ...

, who had been Lehman's counsel and a Justice of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

. Before Governor Lehman left office in 1942, he appointed Bray to the

New York Public Service Commission The New York Public Service Commission is the public utilities commission of the New York state government that regulates and oversees the electric, gas, water, and telecommunication industries in New York as part of the Department of Public Ser ...

, and he served until 1945. In January 1948 Bray was confined to his bed by a heart condition when he was severely injured in a house fire. His death appeared imminent, and a priest administered the last rites. Bray suffered severe burns to his face, arms, and torso, and his right forearm was amputated, but he recovered and left the hospital in March. In November 1948 Bray wed Catherine Claire Coleman of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, who survived him. Bray later served as bankruptcy trustee for the company that operated public buses in

Schenectady Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

, and he was President of the

New York State Bar Association The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justice ...

in 1950. In 1955, Bray was appointed to a 10-year term on the State Building Commission. He died at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in

on January 17, 1961. He was buried at Saint Patrick Cemetery in

Chateaugay, New York Chateaugay ( ; ) is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Franklin County, New York, Franklin County, New York (state), New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 1,743, down from 2,155 in 2010.US Cens ...

1932 New York State Democratic Ticket

*Governor: Herbert H. Lehman *Lieutenant Governor: M. William Bray *Comptroller: Morris S. Tremaine *Attorney General:

John J. Bennett Jr. John James Bennett (March 2, 1894 Brooklyn, Kings County, New York – October 4, 1967, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York) was an American lawyer and politician. Life Bennett was educated in Brooklyn's public and parochial schools. He was an a ...

*U.S. Senate:

Robert F. Wagner Robert Ferdinand Wagner I (June 8, 1877May 4, 1953) was a German-born American attorney and Democratic Party politician who represented the state of New York in the United States Senate from 1927 to 1949. Born in Prussia, Wagner immigrated ...

1934 New York State Democratic Ticket

*Governor: Herbert H. Lehman *Lieutenant Governor: M. William Bray *Comptroller: Morris S. Tremaine *Attorney General:

*U.S. Senate: Royal S. Copeland

1936 New York State Democratic Ticket

*Governor: Herbert H. Lehman *Lieutenant Governor: M. William Bray *Comptroller: Morris S. Tremaine *Attorney General:

Biography

1932 New York State Democratic Ticket

1934 New York State Democratic Ticket

1936 New York State Democratic Ticket

References

Further reading