Robert D. Ray
Encyclopedia
Robert Dolph Ray served as the 38th Governor of Iowa from January 16, 1969 to January 14, 1983. He served in the United States Army. He received his B.A. in Business from Drake University
in 1952 and his Law Degree in 1954. Following several years practicing law, Ray became Chair of the Iowa Republican Party and is credited with rebuilding it following the heavy Republican losses incurred in 1964 when Barry Goldwater
headed the national Republican ticket.
During Ray's time in office, the Iowa Constitution was modified, increasing the Governor's term of office from two years to four years. Ray served as Chair of the National Governors Association
from 1975–1976. He also served as Chairman of the Republican Governors Association
,the Midwestern Governors Association
, the Education Commission of the States
and was the president of the Council of State Governments
. As Governor, Ray issued executive orders promoting civil rights, energy conservation, and paperwork reduction as well as establishing the Governor's Economy Committee, the Iowa Council for Children, the Task Force on Government Ethics, the Science Advisory Council, and the Iowa High Technology Commission. Ray signed legislation establishing the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women in 1974. In 1982, that commission named him the first recipient of the Cristine Wilson Medal for Equality and Justice. In 1976, Ray, along with his wife Billie Ray and three daughters, became the first Governor of Iowa to occupy Terrace Hill
, the official Governor's mansion.
Ray served as a delegate to the United Nations Conference on Refugees in Geneva
, Switzerland in 1979. Beginning in 1975, his administration encouraged Iowans to assist in the settlement of southeast Asian refugees in the state, including Vietnamese Tai Dam
and Laotian Hmong
refugees. He was an advocate of the nickel deposit on aluminum cans. A popular governor during his fourteen-year administration, he has continued to be extremely active in public affairs in Iowa since leaving the governorship, serving as interim Mayor of the City of Des Moines, President of Drake University
, and leading several statewide educational awareness efforts and fundraising campaigns. In 1997, he helped form the Institute for Character Development at Drake University. In 2005, Ray became the only Governor or former Governor to have received Iowa's highest civilian honor, the Iowa Award, by the Iowa Centennial Memorial Commission. Ray is Co-Chair, along with Bob Edgar, of the bipartisan National Coalition on Health Care
.
, many of whom were allies of the U.S., who had been expelled or were fleeing from Vietnam
and living in temporary refugee camps. Ray initiated programs to allow Vietnamese refugees to live in the United States and eventually obtain citizenship.
was appalled that the skeletal remains of American Indians were treated differently than white remains. Her husband, an engineer with the Iowa Department of Transportation, told her that both American Indian and white remains were uncovered during road construction in Glenwood, Iowa
. While the remains of 26 white burials were quickly reburied, the remains of an American Indian mother and her child were sent to a lab for study instead. Pearson protested to Gov. Ray, finally gaining an audience with him after sitting outside his office in traditional attire. When Ray asked Pearson what he could do for her, she replied, "You can give me back my people's bones and you can quit digging them up." Ray cooperated with Pearson, and their work led to the passage of the Iowa Burials Protection Act of 1976, the first legislative act in the U.S. that specifically protected American Indian remains. This act was the predecessor of the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
.
Drake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
in 1952 and his Law Degree in 1954. Following several years practicing law, Ray became Chair of the Iowa Republican Party and is credited with rebuilding it following the heavy Republican losses incurred in 1964 when Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
headed the national Republican ticket.
During Ray's time in office, the Iowa Constitution was modified, increasing the Governor's term of office from two years to four years. Ray served as Chair of the National Governors Association
National Governors Association
The National Governors Association , founded in 1908 as the National Governors' Conference, is funded primarily by state dues, federal grants and contracts and private contributions. NGA represents the governors of the fifty U.S. states and five U.S. territories The National Governors Association...
from 1975–1976. He also served as Chairman of the Republican Governors Association
Republican Governors Association
The Republican Governors Association is a Washington, D.C.-based 527 organization founded in 1963, consisting of U.S. state and territorial governors affiliated with the Republican Party.Its Democratic Party counterpart is the Democratic Governors Association...
,the Midwestern Governors Association
Midwestern Governors Association
The Midwestern Governors Association is a 501 nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that brings together the Midwestern governors of states to work cooperatively on public policy issues of significance to the region. The MGA was created in December 1962 in Chicago, when articles of organization were...
, the Education Commission of the States
Education Commission of the States
The Education Commission of the States was founded as a result of the creation of the Compact for Education, an interstate compact approved by Congress in 1965 and currently entered by 49 U.S...
and was the president of the Council of State Governments
Council of State Governments
The Council of State Governments is a nonpartisan non-profit organization in the United States serving the state governments. It serves state legislatures, state courts, and executive branch officials and agencies, and is the only multi-branch organization of state governments in the United...
. As Governor, Ray issued executive orders promoting civil rights, energy conservation, and paperwork reduction as well as establishing the Governor's Economy Committee, the Iowa Council for Children, the Task Force on Government Ethics, the Science Advisory Council, and the Iowa High Technology Commission. Ray signed legislation establishing the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women in 1974. In 1982, that commission named him the first recipient of the Cristine Wilson Medal for Equality and Justice. In 1976, Ray, along with his wife Billie Ray and three daughters, became the first Governor of Iowa to occupy Terrace Hill
Terrace Hill
Terrace Hill, also known as Hubbell Mansion, Benjamin F. Allen House, and Iowa Governor's Mansion, is the official residence of the Governor of Iowa. Located in Des Moines, Iowa, it is an example of Second Empire architecture. The home measures 18,000 square feet...
, the official Governor's mansion.
Ray served as a delegate to the United Nations Conference on Refugees in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland in 1979. Beginning in 1975, his administration encouraged Iowans to assist in the settlement of southeast Asian refugees in the state, including Vietnamese Tai Dam
Tai Dam
The Tai Dam or Tai Dum are an ethnic group of Laos, Vietnam, China, and Thailand.Tai Dam speakers in China are classified as part of the Dai nationality along with almost all the other Tai peoples...
and Laotian Hmong
Hmong people
The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
refugees. He was an advocate of the nickel deposit on aluminum cans. A popular governor during his fourteen-year administration, he has continued to be extremely active in public affairs in Iowa since leaving the governorship, serving as interim Mayor of the City of Des Moines, President of Drake University
Drake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
, and leading several statewide educational awareness efforts and fundraising campaigns. In 1997, he helped form the Institute for Character Development at Drake University. In 2005, Ray became the only Governor or former Governor to have received Iowa's highest civilian honor, the Iowa Award, by the Iowa Centennial Memorial Commission. Ray is Co-Chair, along with Bob Edgar, of the bipartisan National Coalition on Health Care
National Coalition on Health Care
National Coalition on Health Care ' is America’s oldest and most diverse coalition working to achieve comprehensive health system reform. Founded in 1990 by Dr. Henry E...
.
Southeast Asian refugees
In 1975 Ray was alarmed by the plight of thousands of refugees from the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, many of whom were allies of the U.S., who had been expelled or were fleeing from Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and living in temporary refugee camps. Ray initiated programs to allow Vietnamese refugees to live in the United States and eventually obtain citizenship.
Iowa burials protection law
Part of Gov. Ray's legacy is the enactment of the first laws in the U.S. that protected American Indian graves. In the early 1970s Maria PearsonMaria Pearson
Maria Darlene Pearson was a Yankton Sioux activist who successfully challenged the legal treatment of Native American human remains. She was one of the primary catalysts for the creation of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act...
was appalled that the skeletal remains of American Indians were treated differently than white remains. Her husband, an engineer with the Iowa Department of Transportation, told her that both American Indian and white remains were uncovered during road construction in Glenwood, Iowa
Glenwood, Iowa
Glenwood is a city in and the county seat of Mills County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,269 in the 2010 census, a decline from 5,358 in the 2000 census. -History:...
. While the remains of 26 white burials were quickly reburied, the remains of an American Indian mother and her child were sent to a lab for study instead. Pearson protested to Gov. Ray, finally gaining an audience with him after sitting outside his office in traditional attire. When Ray asked Pearson what he could do for her, she replied, "You can give me back my people's bones and you can quit digging them up." Ray cooperated with Pearson, and their work led to the passage of the Iowa Burials Protection Act of 1976, the first legislative act in the U.S. that specifically protected American Indian remains. This act was the predecessor of the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act , Pub. L. 101-601, 25 U.S.C. 3001 et seq., 104 Stat. 3048, is a United States federal law passed on 16 November 1990 requiring federal agencies and institutions that receive federal funding to return Native American "cultural items" to...
.