M. William Bray

M. William Bray (September 25, 1889, Churubusco, Clinton County, New York – January 17, 1961) was an American lawyer and politician. He was Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1933 to 1938.

Life

He was the son of John Bray and Hannah Bray. He graduated from Union College in 1911, and from Albany Law School in 1914. He commenced practice in Utica, New York.

In 1924, he became Chairman of the Oneida County Democratic Committee, and was Chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee from 1928 to 1930. He was a delegate to the 1928, 1932, 1940 and 1948 Democratic National Conventions.

In 1932, Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt, former Governor Al Smith and Party State Chairman James A. Farley forced the nomination of Herbert H. Lehman for governor, over the opposition of Tammany Hall and its allies. As a peace offering, Farley permitted Tammany to choose the candidate for lieutenant governor, and Bray was nominated. Lehman and Bray were renominated and reelected in 1934 and in 1936. In 1938, Bray was dumped from the ticket in favor of Lehman's counsel Charles Poletti.

Before Governor Lehman left office in 1942, he appointed Bray to the New York Public Service Commission. In later years, Bray served as a Referee in Bankruptcy and, in 1950, as President of the New York State Bar Association.

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.
• U.S. Senate: Robert F. Wagner

1934 New York State Democratic Ticket

• Governor: Herbert H. Lehman
• Lieutenant Governor: M. William Bray
• Comptroller: Morris S. Tremaine
• Attorney General: John J. Bennett, Jr.
• 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: John J. Bennett, Jr.

Sources

• Political Graveyard
• M. William Bray Is Dead Upstate Obit in New York Times, Jan. 18, 1961, p. 33.

References

• Frank Freidel: Franklin D. Roosevelt: The Triumph (1956)

v t e Governors and Lieutenant Governors of New York Governors G. Clinton Jay G. Clinton Lewis Tompkins Tayler D. Clinton Yates D. Clinton Pitcher Van Buren Throop Marcy Seward Bouck Wright Young Fish Hunt Seymour Clark King Morgan Seymour Fenton Hoffman J. Adams Dix Tilden Robinson Cornell Cleveland Hill Flower Morton Black T. Roosevelt Odell Higgins Hughes White J. Alden Dix Sulzer Glynn Whitman Smith Miller Smith F. Roosevelt Lehman Poletti Dewey Harriman Rockefeller Wilson Carey M. Cuomo Pataki Spitzer Paterson A. Cuomo Lieutenant Governors Van Cortlandt S. Van Rensselaer J. Van Rensselaer Broome Tayler Clinton Tayler Swift Tayler Root Tallmadge Pitcher P. Livingston Dayan Throop Stebbins Oliver E. Livingston Tracy Bradish Dickinson Gardiner Lester Fish Patterson Church Raymond Selden Campbell Floyd-Jones Alvord Woodford Beach Robinson Dorsheimer Hoskins Hill McCarthy Jones Sheehan Saxton Woodruff Higgins Bruce Raines Chanler White Cobb Conway Glynn Wagner Schoeneck Walker Wood Lusk Lunn Lowman Corning Lehman Bray Poletti Hanley Wallace Hanley Moore Wicks Mahoney DeLuca Wilson Anderson Krupsak Cuomo DelBello Anderson Lundine McCaughey Donohue Paterson Bruno Skelos Smith Espada Ravitch Smith Ravitch Duffy Italics indicate acting officeholders