William Hallett Ray was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 politician, farmer, and merchant.

Born in Clementsport

Clementsport, Nova Scotia

Clementsport is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Annapolis County.Clementsport is situated on the Annapolis Basin, and along the Moose River. The small town has pizzeria - Jody's Gourmet Pizza, which is part of the Moose River Variety Store...

, Annapolis Valley

Annapolis Valley

The Annapolis Valley is a valley and region in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the western part of the Nova Scotia peninsula, formed by a trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the Bay of Fundy.-Geography:...

, Ray was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly

Nova Scotia House of Assembly

The Nova Scotia Legislature, consisting of Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, is the legislative branch of the provincial government of Nova Scotia, Canada...

 for Annapolis County in an 1864 by-election held after James William Johnston

James William Johnston

James W. Johnston was a Nova Scotia lawyer and politician. He served as Premier of the colony from 1857 to 1860 and again from 1864. He was also Government Leader prior to the granting of responsible government in 1848. He was a Conservative and supporter of Confederation...

 was named to the bench. He was first elected to represent the Annapolis

Annapolis (electoral district)

Annapolis was a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1917. The district was created in the British North America Act of 1867. It was abolished in 1914 when it was redistributed into Digby and Annapolis...

 electoral district in the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 on September 20, 1867

Canadian federal election, 1867

The Canadian federal election of 1867, held from August 7 to September 20, was the first election for the new nation of Canada. It was held to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons, representing electoral districts in the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec in the...

, and remained in office until his defeat in September 1878

Canadian federal election, 1878

The Canadian federal election of 1878 was held on September 17 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 4th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the end of Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie's Liberal government after only one term in office. Canada suffered an economic depression...

. Ray was re-elected for one more term in the June 1882 elections

Canadian federal election, 1882

The Canadian federal election of 1882 was held on June 20, 1882 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 5th Parliament of Canada.Prime Minister Sir John A...

. He was a member of the Anti-Confederation Party

Anti-Confederation Party

Anti-Confederation was the name used in what is now Atlantic Canada by several parties opposed to Canadian confederation.-Nova Scotia:In Nova Scotia, the "Anti-Confederates" were led by Joseph Howe. They attempted to reverse the colony's decision to join Confederation, which was initially highly...

 until January 1869, when he left it for the Liberal Party

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

. In 1887, Ray was named to the Legislative Council of Nova Scotia

Legislative Council of Nova Scotia

The Legislative Council of Nova Scotia was the upper house of the government of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It existed from 1838 to May 31, 1928...

.

He married Henrietta Ditmars in 1848. Ray also served as lieutenant-colonel in the county militia.

He died in Clementsport at the age of 83.