Gray, William H., III, 1941-2013

<p>A third–generation pastor of a large Philadelphia–area Baptist church and community activist, William Gray defeated a longtime incumbent to take his first elected office in the United States House of Representatives. Though new to elective office, Gray proved adept at Capitol Hill politics, rising meteorically in power during his 12 years in Congress primarily because he was skilled at lobbying for top posts. “If preachers, lawyers, business entrepreneurs, and teachers can engage in politics, why not a Baptist minister?” Gray asked. “Congress needs a strong moral force within its chambers. What better person than a man of moral integrity to serve his district?” Gray was the first black Member of Congress to chair the powerful and partisan Budget Committee and the first black Representative to become the third–ranking Democrat in the House. Yet, at the height of his political career, he abruptly resigned to take a position to assist historically black colleges and to return to the pulpit.</p>

<p>William Herbert (Bill) Gray III was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on August 20, 1941. The second child of Dr. William H. Gray, Jr., and Hazel Yates Gray, he had an older sister, Marion. William Gray spent the first nine years of his life in St. Augustine, and Tallahassee, Florida, where his father served as president of Florida Normal and Industrial College (now Florida Memorial College) and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Florida A&M University). His mother was a high school teacher and once served as dean of Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. When William Gray III’s grandfather and namesake died in 1949, the Grays moved to North Philadelphia, where William Gray, Jr., took over his father’s pastoral position at Bright Hope Baptist Church, which William Gray, Sr., had held since 1925. William Gray III graduated from Simon Gratz High School in Philadelphia in 1959 and earned a B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1963. Gray majored in sociology, but one of his professors encouraged him to become involved in politics. During his senior year in college, Gray interned for Philadelphia Representative Robert N. C. Nix.</p>

<p>After college, Gray followed his father and grandfather into the ministry. He received a master’s degree in divinity from Drew Theological Seminary in Madison, New Jersey, in 1966 and a master’s degree in theology from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1970. He became a community activist in 1970 while living in Montclair, New Jersey, after he won a housing discrimination suit against a landlord who denied him an apartment because of his race. The New Jersey superior court awarded him financial damages, setting a legal precedent and earning Gray national attention. Gray founded the nonprofit Union Housing Corporation in Montclair to build affordable homes for low– and moderate–income tenants. In 1971, he married Andrea Dash, a marketing consultant. They raised three sons: William IV, Justin, and Andrew.</p>

<p>William Herbert Gray III (August 20, 1941 – July 1, 2013) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who represented Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district from 1979 to 1991. He also served as chairman of the House Committee on the Budget from 1985 to 1989 and House Majority Whip from 1989 to 1991. He resigned from Congress in September of that year to become president and chief executive officer of the United Negro College Fund, a position he held until 2004.</p>

<p>As an African American, he was the fourth-highest-ranking member of the House at the time of his resignation and a minister in Philadelphia. He was co-founder of the government lobbying and advisory firm, Gray Loeffler LLC, headquartered in Washington D.C.</p>

<p>Gray was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but grew up in St. Augustine, Florida, where his father was president of Florida Normal and Industrial Institute (later renamed Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University), and later in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he graduated from Simon Gratz High School. He attended Franklin & Marshall College, where he received a bachelor's degree in 1963. He went on to obtain a master's in divinity from Drew Theological Seminary in 1966 and a master's in theology from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1970. Gray received a L.H.D. from Bates College in 1994.</p>

GRAY, William Herbert, III, a Representative from Pennsylvania; born in Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, La., August 20, 1941; attended the public schools; graduated from Simon Gratz High School, Philadelphia, Pa., 1959; B.A., Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pa., 1963; M.Div., Drew Theological Seminary, Madison, N.J., 1966; Th.M., Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey, 1970; minister; taught at St. Peter's College, Jersey City, N.J., 1970-1974, Jersey City State College, 1968-1969, Rutgers University, 1971, and Montclair (N.J.) State College, 1970-1972; elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-sixth and to the six succeeding Congresses, and served until his resignation September 11, 1991 (January 3, 1979-September 11, 1991); chairman, Committee on the Budget (Ninety-ninth and One Hundredth Congresses); majority whip (One Hundred First and One Hundred Second Congresses); president, United Negro College Fund; special adviser to the President and secretary of state for Haitian affairs, 1994; died on July 1, 2013, in London, England.