Created by Robert A. Gray

R. Andrew Gray (1882-1975) was born on August 2, 1882, near Concord, Georgia, the second son of a Methodist circuit preacher. The family soon moved to northern Florida where Gray was raised, educated, and first tried his hand at teaching in a country school at the age of fifteen. Gray later attended South Florida Military College in Bartow for four years. Before dedicating himself wholly to state politics, Gray spent nearly ten years in teaching, newspaper work, and local government. He then went on to spend most of sixty years, from the beginning of the century until his retirement in 1961, working in some capacity for the state of Florida. Gray represented Gadsden County as a legislator in 1910 and over the next twenty years he held various positions in state agencies including the State Treasury and the Comptroller's Office. In 1930, he was appointed Secretary of State to finish William Igou's term and then ran for that office himself in the next election. Gray served as Secretary of State from 1930 until 1961 when he resigned. For more details on Gray, see his autobiography, My Story, Rose Printing Company, Tallahassee, 1958, and W.T. Cash: History of Florida, American Historical Society, 1938, volume 3, page 5.