Oscar Lee Gray
Encyclopedia
O.L. Gray was a U.S. Representative
from Alabama.
Born in Mississippi, Congressman O.L. Gray attended school in Choctaw County. He studied law and graduated from the University of Alabama
in 1885 and was admitted to the Alabama bar. Gray taught school and served as Superintendent of Education for Choctaw County. He served as solicitor for the First Judicial Circuit 1904-1910 and was a delegate to the 1912 Democratic National Convention
.
Gray was elected as a Democrat
to the Sixty-fourth
and Sixty-fifth
Congresses (March 4, 1915 - March 3, 1919). O.L. Gray served on the Rivers and Harbors Committee and was the first Congressman to sign the World War I
Declaration of War
. His 1918 re-election campaign materials boast of his relationship with and support for U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
:
"He Stood by the President All the Time
Let's all Stand by Him this Time."
After serving in Congress he returned to the Gray Plantation in Butler, Alabama and resumed the practice of law and in November 1934 was elected Judge of the Alabama First Judicial Circuit Court.
He died January 2, 1936 in Shreveport, Louisiana
home to his daughter and son-in-law (Dr. and Mrs. Broox Cleveland Garrett) and grandchildren (Betty Gray Garrett and Broox C. Garrett, Jr.). Congressman Gray is interred next to his widow Laura Lee Gray, daughter Bess Gray Garrett and her husband Broox C. Garrett and Dr. Leroy Vogel in Forest Park Cemetery in Shreveport.
Notable heirs:
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Alabama.
Born in Mississippi, Congressman O.L. Gray attended school in Choctaw County. He studied law and graduated from the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
in 1885 and was admitted to the Alabama bar. Gray taught school and served as Superintendent of Education for Choctaw County. He served as solicitor for the First Judicial Circuit 1904-1910 and was a delegate to the 1912 Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
.
Gray was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Sixty-fourth
64th United States Congress
The Sixty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1915 to March 4, 1917, during the third and fourth...
and Sixty-fifth
65th United States Congress
The Sixty-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1917 to March 4, 1919, during the fourth and fifth...
Congresses (March 4, 1915 - March 3, 1919). O.L. Gray served on the Rivers and Harbors Committee and was the first Congressman to sign the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Declaration of War
Declaration of war
A declaration of war is a formal act by which one nation goes to war against another. The declaration is a performative speech act by an authorized party of a national government in order to create a state of war between two or more states.The legality of who is competent to declare war varies...
. His 1918 re-election campaign materials boast of his relationship with and support for U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
:
"He Stood by the President All the Time
Let's all Stand by Him this Time."
After serving in Congress he returned to the Gray Plantation in Butler, Alabama and resumed the practice of law and in November 1934 was elected Judge of the Alabama First Judicial Circuit Court.
He died January 2, 1936 in Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
home to his daughter and son-in-law (Dr. and Mrs. Broox Cleveland Garrett) and grandchildren (Betty Gray Garrett and Broox C. Garrett, Jr.). Congressman Gray is interred next to his widow Laura Lee Gray, daughter Bess Gray Garrett and her husband Broox C. Garrett and Dr. Leroy Vogel in Forest Park Cemetery in Shreveport.
Notable heirs:
- Dr. Betsy Vogel Boze, CEO and Dean, Kent State University Stark (granddaughter of Bess Gray Garrett)
- Namesake, Lee Gray Boze, President, American Petroleum (son of Betsy Vogel Boze)