Charles Ray

Charles Andrew Ray (September 3, 1829 – March 6, 1912) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge who served as a justice of the Indiana Supreme Court from January 3, 1865 to January 3, 1871. Biography Early life, education, and career Ray was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1829 to James Mitchel and Maria Rebecca Ray (née Coe). James Mitchel Ray, born in Caldwell, New Jersey, the son of a Scottish immigrant from Kippen, had a long career in Indiana law and governance, serving as Clerk of the Marion County Circuit Court and as Cashier of the Bank of Indiana. James M. Ray was also active within the Presbyterian Church, serving as Superintendent of a Presbyterian school in Indianapolis before becoming an Elder of the Presbyterian Church in 1830 and then a member of the Joint Committee on the Reunion of the Presbyterian Church. James Ray faced financial ruin after a disastrous mining investment, but he was able to get a well-paying position with the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C. From 1848-1849, Charles Ray attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, but was forced to leave Brown early after his father became ill. In 1849, he was awarded an honorary degree of LL.D by Indiana State University. He returned to school from 1851 to 1852, obtaining an actual degree from a law school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Returning to Indianapolis, Ray formed a law partnership with a former judge, James Morrison, remaining at his private practice until 1861.