Washington (State). Governor (1977-1981 : Ray)

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Dixy Lee Ray was born in Tacoma, Wash., on 3 Sept. 1914, the second of five daughters of Francis Adams Ray and Alvis M. Ray, a printer. Ray won a scholarship to Mills College and graduated in 1937. The following year she earned a Master's Degree at Mills, and then taught high school biology for four years. She earned her doctorate in marine biology at Stanford University in 1945, after which Dr. Ray taught zoology at the University of Washington for more than twenty years, while also doing research on marine invertebrates. She also served as director of the Pacific Science Center.

Ray was appointed to the Atomic Energy Commission in 1972, which required her to move from Seattle to Washington D.C. She later served as Assistant Secretary of State for Scientific Affairs, a post which made her responsible for coordinating all international scientific affairs from space technology to oceans and fisheries. After some conflict with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Ray resigned her post and returned to Washington State in 1975. Over the following year, Ray talked to many groups about energy, the wise use of technology and resources, her experiences in the nation's capital, and other issues, and began to think that she would like to be active in state government. Never previously allied with any political party, Ray decided to run for governor on the Democratic ticket in 1976. Ray's campaign statement was "THE FUTURE IS NOW!" After defeating King County Executive John Spellman in the Democratic primary, Ray went on to win the general election against Seattle mayor Wes Uhlman. Ray was only the second woman in the history of the U.S. to be elected governor without having been preceded in office by a husband.

Governor Ray immediately set about trying to reduce the cost of state government. She put a freeze on state hiring and ordered cost-efficiency studies to determine ways of saving money. She asked every agency to show how it could cut ten percent of its budget. Her budget message to the Legislature was delivered within six weeks of the inauguration and recommended a reduction of $235.5 million from the 1977-1979 budget. By July 1977, the Legislature was able to adopt a budget which did not call for any tax increases. By the end of 1978, the State's general fund deficit had been eliminated, several agencies had markedly improved their rates of payment on bills and claims and collection of money due, and money taken in was being deposited more promptly and earning more interest. A plan was completed to improve the state's purchasing system. By 1981, a new budget process and a new financial reporting system had been developed. Concerned about the state's energy supply, Ray felt that it was important to complete the five Washington Public Power Supply System nuclear power plants at Satsop and Hanford, and to push ahead with the approval of a reactor on the Skagit River. The Energy Office worked on promoting new cogeneration facilities and the development of solar and geothermal energy.

Many environmentalists did not agree with the governor on the safety of nuclear reactors, and they certainly did not agree with her on the supertanker issue. Ray felt that Cherry Point, north of Bellingham, with its already-existing oil refineries, was the logical off-loading point for Alaskan oil, and that properly built and regulated supertankers would pose no threat to Puget Sound. Environmentalists felt that oil spills were all too likely and would prove unusually disastrous on the confined area of the Sound. Ray vetoed a Legislature bill to prohibit supertankers east of Port Angeles, on the Strait of Juan de Fuca; however, her action was circumvented when Senator Warren G. Magnuson amended a federal marine mammal protection act to prohibit supertankers east of Port Angeles, and President Carter signed it into law.

Certainly the most dramatic environmental event of Governor Ray's term was the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in May 1980. After the volcano showed signs of an impending eruption, Ray formed a Mt. St. Helens Watch Group made up of the heads of eight state agencies and restricted citizens' access to the mountain. When Mt. St. Helens erupted on 18 May, it caused a destructive mudslide in the Toutle River Valley and spread ash over much of the state, darkening the sky, clogging machinery, slowing traffic and grounding airplanes. Governor Ray deployed the National Guard to rescue victims, man roadblocks, prevent looting and assist with cleanup. The governor met with President Carter, toured the Mt. St. Helens area with him, requested that he declare it a disaster area, and began the process of applying for federal emergency assistance. Damage to agriculture and fisheries was less than originally feared, and although tourism suffered temporarily, Mt. St. Helens later became a very popular tourist destination.

Two days after Ray took office, the Thurston County Superior Court declared that the state's school funding system was unconstitutional, and gave it until 1979 to come up with a better plan. The governor, the superintendent of public instruction, and the legislature created and passed legislation which defined basic education, established a schedule to phase in full funding and equalize salaries, and limited school levies. Basic education was fully state funded by 1981, which decreased special school levies and partially alleviated the great disparities in funding and educational quality between different school districts. Ray lost the 1980 primary to James McDermott, who lost the general election in November to Spellman, whom Ray had defeated four years earlier.

From the description of Governor Dixy Lee Ray papers, 1977-1981. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71014329

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Gaboury, Vivian, 1906-1999. Vivian Gaboury's letter from Olympia. Washington State Library, Office of Secretary of State
creatorOf Washington (State). Governor (1977-1981 : Ray). Governor Dixy Lee Ray papers, 1977-1981. Washington State Archives, Southwest Regional Branch
creatorOf Washington State Women's Council. Washington State Women's Council's collection of resource materials, 1971-1978 bulk 1977-1978. Washington State Library, Office of Secretary of State
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Gaboury, Vivian, 1906-1999. person
associatedWith National Governors' Association. corporateBody
associatedWith Ray, Dixy Lee. person
associatedWith Washington State Women's Council. corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Northwest, Pacific
Washington (State)
Saint Helens, Mount (Wash.)
Subject
Public utilities
Public works
Occupation
Activity
Women governors

Corporate Body

Active 1971

Active 1978

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