Raymond Dancel Gary was born on 21 Jan 1908 in Marshall County, Oklahoma, United States, son of Daniel Remus Gary (1886 - 1981) and Winnie Edith (Roman) Gary (1887 - 1968).
Raymond died on 11 Dec 1993 in Madill, Oklahoma aged 85. He is buried in Woodberry Forest Cemetery, Madill, Oklahoma.
Early Life
The eldest of five children of Daniel and Winnie Edith Gary, Raymond spent his childhood on the family farm near Buncombe Creek. After attending rural schools, Gary went to Madill High School. While riding his horse five miles to school, he was often accompanied by a neighbor, Emma Mae Purser. One year after he graduated in 1927, the two were married. (Norris)
He graduated from Southeastern State College and taught school from 1928 until 1932, when he was elected Superintendent of Schools for Marshall County. (National Governors) Within four years he obtained an A accreditation for all his schools. Then in 1936 he established the Gary Manufacturing Company to make school and office furniture. Additionally, in 1946 he bought Kingston Commercial Oil and Gas. Renamed Sooner Oil, Gary's company became a major oil and gas wholesaler. He also purchased a 120-acre ranch outside Kingston; the ranch later grew to hundreds of acres. (Norris)
Political Life
A Democrat and always interested in politics, Gary ran for the Oklahoma Senate in 1932, losing by three hundred votes. Eight years later he handily won election. Serving for fourteen years as chair of the appropriations committed and president pro tempore, Gary won wide acclaim for his expertise on appropriations. (Norris)
In 1953, after declaring that he had "a deep desire to serve as governor," he entered the sixteen-candidate field. Initially finishing second to William Coe, he won a solid victory in a bitter runoff. Raymond Dancel Gary was the first Governor to be born in Oklahoma after statehood. Gary began his governorship on January 10, 1955, by delivering an extemporaneous message that was instantly proclaimed to be one of the best speeches ever delivered before the legislature. The new governor's words focused on his intent to
integrate peacefully the state's schools,
promote industry, and
build roads. (Norris)
Once the ceremony ended, the governor's forces quickly introduced his Better Schools Amendment. Aimed at destroying Oklahoma's constitutionally segregated schools, his omnibus amendment replaced the existing four-mill separate levy for black schools with a common school fund four-mill tax. By ending separately funded schools, districts would be forced to integrate voluntarily, resulting in larger schools with better standards. (Norris) One of his first actions was to order the "whites only" and "colored only" signs removed from the Capitol's restrooms. He also declared his intent to make the state comply with the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which declared segregation in the public schools unconstitutional. He said: "I feel sure that defiance of the Supreme Court mandate will not be tolerated. School boards which might entertain such ideas will find themselves on their own. Certainly the State of Oklahoma cannot possibly defend such action." (Wikipedia)
Quickly voting passage, the legislature recessed so the governor could personally lead a statewide campaign for approval. Knowing that he had staked the "success or failure of my administration" on this, Gary was elated when the voters overwhelmingly voted yes. Oklahoma, therefore, became the only southern state voluntarily to begin to end segregation. Moreover, Gary abolished separate bathrooms and fountains at state buildings. Further, he ended segregation in the National Guard and Crime Bureau. (Norris)
Next, the governor secured legislation creating the Department of Commerce and Industry. Directed by the governor and a citizen advisory council, the new agency's role was to inform the nation about the state's natural resources and its agricultural and commercial opportunities. Using an official state magazine, Oklahoma Today, and other promotions, the department effectively began to publicize Oklahoma's economic and environmental virtues to encourage businesses from around the country and the world to relocate in the Sooner State. (Norris)
As governor, Gary was able to get legislative support for his endeavors, most notably his proposed state budgets, which included neither raised taxes nor large spending increases.[5] He also led and supported efforts to improve the state highway system, particularly the major highways that crisscrossed the state and expressway routes through the two largest cities, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. It was during Gary's tenure that the Oklahoma Department of Transportation oversaw efforts to survey and approve the routes of the Interstate Highway System through the state including east-west Interstate 40 and north-south Interstate 35. (Wikipedia)
Another area he targeted was urban water development. As requested, the legislature created the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to oversee long-range use of the state's waters. Additional farsighted water reform legislation allowed cities to join resources to create water conservation districts. (Norris)
During 1957 Gary happily assisted the Oklahoma Semi-Centennial Commission in celebrating the state's fiftieth birthday. Declaring "every citizen should be proud . . . to live in this great state," the governor opened the Semi-Centennial Exposition in Oklahoma City with a golden tomahawk. The spectacle, which Gary effectively used as a publicity opportunity, attracted the participation of nineteen countries and drew over 1.5 million visitors. Among many other major achievements, Gary's term brought increases in appropriations for common schools, higher education, old-age assistance, the highway patrol, and mental health programs and hospitals. Serious reforms for the mentally ill soon made Oklahoma's program a model for the nation. (Norris)
Later Life
When Gary left office, it was well acknowledged that his practical approach to politics and ability to compromise had insured his success. Certainly, his deep knowledge of the intricacies of government astounded both his allies and his opponents. In essence, Gary's remarkable tenure had created a positive picture of Oklahoma's state government, an achievement that greatly enhanced the state's image to the world. If he had done nothing else, the governor's heroic stance on integration had insured a legacy that would live on and inspire others to rid the nation of that particular evil. While Gary never held elective office again, he remained a major influential personality in state and national politics for more than thirty years. Gary died on December 11, 1993, and was buried at Madill. (Norris)
Education: Local schools and Southeastern State College
Occupation: Teacher and School Superintendent. Businessman: school and office supplies; Sooner Oil Company, rancher. Governor of Oklahoma State January 10, 1955 ~ January 08, 1959. [3]
Residence
Residence: 1910; Taliaferro, Marshall, Oklahoma, United States; Marital Status: Single; Relation to Head: Son; Age: 2 [1]
Residence: 1920; Willis, Marshall, Oklahoma, United States; Marital Status: Single; Relation to Head: Son; Age: 12; Single; School: attending, can read, write [2]
Residence: 1930; Willis, Marshall, Oklahoma, United States; Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head: Head; Age: 22; Married; Home: rented, farm, no radio; Occupation: School teacher, wage or salary, employed [3]
Residence: 1940; Willis, Marshall, Oklahoma, United States; Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head: Head; Age: 32; Home: farm, owned, value $500; Occupation: Store owner, worked 54hrs/wk, 52 wks, self-employed, income 2000 with other sources; Education: highest grade 3rd year college [4][12]
Residence: 1950; Willis, Marshall, Oklahoma, United States; Relation to Head: Head; Marital Status: Married; Age: 42; Home: farm; Occupation: Business Executive, Sooner Oil Co., working 70 hrs/wk, 52 wks, private, income 400; military: not a veteran; School: C3 [5]
Residence: Before 1951; Oklahoma; Age: 42
Residence: Abt 1954; Madill; Age: 46
Residence: Willis, Marshall, Oklahoma
Residence: MADILL, Okla.
Government Service
Elected: State senator representing Marshall and Johnston counties - 14 years. Pioneered the state's free textbook policy for public school students.
Elected: Oklahoma's 15th governor from 1955 to 1959, construction of thousands of miles of new roads, both rural and interstate, without tax hikes or tolls. Courageously brought a peaceful end to segregation in Oklahoma’s public schools, colleges and universities.
Accomplishment: Founded Baptist Children's Home of Southern Oklahoma. Donated $200,000 and a 37-acre tract of land for the home
↑ 2.02.12.22.32.42.52.62.72.82.91920 United States Federal Census: Year: 1920; Census Place: Willis, Marshall, Oklahoma; Roll: T625_1472; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 168
↑ 4.04.14.24.34.44.54.64.74.81940 United States Federal Census: Year: 1940; Census Place: Willis, Marshall, Oklahoma; Roll: m-t0627-03311; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 48-11
↑ 5.05.15.25.35.45.55.65.71950 United States Federal Census: United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: Willis, Marshall, Oklahoma; Roll: 4270; Sheet Number: 5; Enumeration District: 48-17
↑ 10.010.110.210.310.410.5Oklahoma, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1890-1995: Ancestry.com. Oklahoma, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1890-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Original data: Marriage Records. Oklahoma Marriages. Various Oklahoma County marriage collections.
↑ 11.011.111.211.3U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014: Social Security Administration; Washington D.C., USA; Social Security Death Index, Master File
↑ 12.0012.0112.0212.0312.0412.0512.0612.0712.0812.0912.10U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947: National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Oklahoma, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 176
↑ 14.014.114.214.314.4U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007: Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007.
Milligan, James. The Man on the Second Floor: Raymond D. Gary (Oklahoma Trackmaker Series) Oklahoma Hewritage Assoc. 1988
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Raymond by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA.
However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line.
It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Raymond: