Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/54

RAY RAYMOND

man of the committee on levees and improve- ments of the Mississippi in the 54lh congress, and of the judiciary committee in the 55th. 56th and 57th congresses. He was a member of the board of trustees of Norwich academy and Union Free school; declined the justiceship of the New York supreme court in 1809, and on Sept. 13, 1902, was appointed by President Roosevelt U.S. district judge for the northern district of New York.

RAY, James Brown, governor of Indiana, was born in Jefferson county, Ky.. Feb. 19, 1794. He received a liberal education, studied law under General Gano. Cincinnati, Ohio, and practised in Brookville, Ind.. 181S-25. and 1831-48. He was a An image should appear at this position in the text. member of the Indiana senate, and president pro-tempore of the senate, 1824-25 succeeding Ratliff Boon. Wlien William Hendricks (q. v.) resigned the governor- ship, Feb. 12, 1825, the duties of acting-governor devolved upon Mr. Ray. He was elected governor in 1825, and re-elected in 1S2S. serving. 1825-31. During his second administration the supreme court of the state was re-organized, and in making appointments to the bench lie gave offence to his party and was succeeded by Noah Noble (q.v.). While governor he was appointed a U.S. commissioner to negotiate a treaty of purchase with the Miami and Pottawatamie Indians. His acceptance of the position was in direct violation of the con- stitution of the state, and he was thus involved in a controversy. He secured land from the Indians to aid in building a wagon road from Lake Michigan to the Ohio river, and state aid for railroads. He was defeated for clerk of Marion county in 1835. and for representative in the 25th congress in 1836. He was married, Dec. 10, 1818, to Mary Riddle of Cincinnati. Ohio, and secondly, to Mrs. Esther Booker of Centreville, Ind. He died in Cincinnati. Ohio. Aug. 4. 1848.

RAYMOND, Andrew Van Vranken, educator, was born at Visscher's Ferry. Saratoga county, N.Y, Aug. 8, 18.54; son of the Rev. Henry A. and Catherine M. (Miller) Raymond. He was graduated at Union college, A.B., 1875. A.M., 1878, and at the New Brunswick Theological seminary, 1878. He was married. Sept. 24. 1879, to Margaret M. Thomas of Middleville, N.Y. He was pastor of First Reformed church. Paterson, N.J., 1878-81; of the Trinity Reformed church, Plainfield, N.J., 1881-87; of the Fourth Presbyterian church, Albany, N.Y., 1887-94, and in 1894 was elected and inaugurated president of Union university, Schenectady, N. Y. He received the honorary degree of D.D. from Union in 1887, and LL.D. from Williams in 1894.

RAYMOND, Benjamin, civil engineer, was born in Richmond, Mass., Oct. 19, 1774: son of Paul and Rachel (Stevens) Raymond; grandson of Daniel and Elizabeth (Blackmer) Raymond of Sharon, Conn., and of Zebulon and Miriam (Fel- lows) Stevens of Canaan, Conn., and a descend- ant of Capt. William (who settled at Beverly. Mass., in 1652) and Hannah (Bishop) Raymond. He attended school at Richmond. Mass., and studied civil engineering at Rome. N.Y., with Benjamin Wright, surveyor for the eastern half of the Erie canal. He was married, first, Sept. 25, 1800, to Hannah, daughter of Thomas and Martha (Butler) Wright of We tliersfield. Conn, and Rome, N.Y., and secondly, March 7, 1809. to her sister Cloe. Between 1798 and 1808. He was the first surveyor of large portions of northern New York state, and is said to have been the earliest to advocate a canal between Lake Cham- plain and the St. Lawrence river, first, in a letter written in 1801, and later, in 1823. in a report which influenced the New York legislature to authorize surveys. He was the founder in 1803 of Potsdam, N.Y., and in 1810 erected at his own expense the first building of the St. Law- rence academy, Potsdam, and paid the entire salaries of some of its earlier instructors. For several years following 1808 he was county judge of St. Lawrence county, N.Y. He was associate surveyor of the Chesapeake and Dela- ware canal in 1823, and died at St. Georges. Delaware. Sept. 25. 1824.

RAYMOND, Benjamin Wright, pioneer, was born at Rome. N.Y., Oct. 23. 1801. He attended the district school, and a French academj' in Canada; served as a clerk in a general store several years, and subsequently engaged in busi- ness for himself, first in Rome and then in East Bloomfield, N.Y^. He was married, Jan. 12. 1834, to Amelia, daughter of Reuben and Anna (Root) Porter of East Bloomfield. N.Y". He removed to Chicago, 111., in 18.3G. and was mayor of the city, 1840-46, devoting his entire salary to alleviating the distress of laborers. He inaugurated the system of wide streets, and secured Dearborn Park and the lake front as a gift to Chicago. He was influential in securing to the city the Galena railroad, the first road built in Illinois; erected the first woolen mill in the state, and in 1864 organized the Elgin National watch com- pany and became its first president. He was one of the organizers of the city of Lake Forest. 111.; a founder of Lake Forest university, and for twenty-five years president of its board of trus- tees. He was also president of the Chicago board of trade and the Fox River and Wisconsin Central railroad, and a trustee of Beloit college, and of Rockford Female seminary. He died in Chicago, III., April 5, 1883.