James Brown Ray (February 19, 1794 – August 4, 1848) was an Indiana politician and the only Indiana Senate president pro tempore to be elevated to governor of the state of Indiana. Ray served during a time when the state transitioned from personal politics to political parties, but never joined a party himself. Taking office one week before his 31st birthday, he became the state's youngest governor and served from 1825 to 1831, the longest period for an Indiana governor under the state constitution of 1816. During Ray's term as governor the state experienced a period of economic prosperity and a 45 percent population increase. He supported projects that encouraged the continued growth and development of the young state, most notably internal improvements, Native American removal, codification of Indiana's laws, improved county and local government, and expanded educational opportunities. Ray was known for his eccentricity and early promotion of a large-scale railroad system in the state. His support for new railroad construction and alleged involvement in several scandals caused him to lose popularity among voters. Ray's opponents who favored the creation of canals considered railroads to be an impractical, utopian idea. Following Ray's departure from political office, he continued to advocate for a statewide railroad system until his death in 1848.
Early life
Family and background
James Brown Ray was born in Jefferson County, Kentucky, on February 19, 1794, the son of Rev. William Ray, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War, and Phebe Ann Brown Ray. He was one of twelve children. Ray attended local common schools and received a basic education. Ray moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, when he was still a boy, where he studied law in the office of General Gano, and was admitted to the bar in 1816. Ray briefly served as deputy clerk of Hamilton County, Ohio.
Ray married Mary Riddle of Hamilton County, Ohio, on December 10, 1818. That same year the couple moved to Brookville, Indiana, where they had two children prior to Mary's death on July 4, 1823. Ray established a law office in Brookville and quickly rose to prominence in the community. Ray was known to be rash and sometimes belligerent. In one incident Ray insulted a Brookville farmer who severely beat him for the insult. In another incident Ray threatened another lawyer with a "thrashing" before a court session, to which the lawyer replied with a fist in Ray's face. The courtroom went wild. Both men had to be restrained before further blows could be thrown.
Ray married Esther Booker (née Gay), widow of Samuel P. Booker, of Centerville, Indiana, in September 1825. The couple had five children.
Legislator
Ray's outspoken manner helped him gain popularity in his community. In 1821 he served a one-year term in the Indiana House of Representatives. The next year he was elected to the Indiana State Senate and began his term on December 2, 1822. On January 30, 1824, the same day Lieutenant Governor Ratliff Boon resigned to take a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, Ray was elected the Indiana Senate's president pro tempore.
Governor
Ray became the state's fourth governor on February 12, 1825, when Indiana governor William Hendricks resigned from his office to become a U.S. senator. The lieutenant governor's office had remained vacant after Boon's departure for the U.S. House of Representatives the previous year. This is the only time this occurred in Indiana history. After a brief debate about his eligibility to become governor because of his young age, Ray was able to provide proof that he met the minimum age of thirty as required under the state constitution.
Indiana was still a young state during Ray's tenure as governor, but it was growing rapidly. The state's population increased 45 percent and its finances were strengthened during a period of relative prosperity. To encourage further settlement and economic development, Ray supported internal improvements, Native American removal, codification of Indiana's laws, improved county and local government, and expanded educational opportunities. Party politics also entered the state during Ray's term as governor. Previously, politicians in the state were loosely affiliated with the Democratic-Republican Party or none at all. During the 1820s national parties were generally divided among Jeffersonian Republicans, who followed Henry Clay and John Quincy Adams, and Jacksonian Democrats, who supported Andrew Jackson. Ray resisted the rise of the parties and tried to remain neutral.
