Lawless, Ray McKinley, 1896-1968

Biographical History

Ray McKinley Lawless was born in Wellington, Kansas in 1896 and died March 11, 1968. A veteran of World War I, Lawless received his master's degree from the University of Chicago in 1924 and completed his doctorial studies with the same institution in 1940. For over 35 years, Lawless taught as a professor of English at Hendrix College (1924-1928), Dakota Wesleyan University (1928-1931), and Junior College of Kansas City (1932-1962), later known as Metropolitan Junior College. A lifelong scholar of American literature and folksongs, he published many articles in addition to the influential and authoritative Folksingers and Folksongs in America .

From the guide to the Ray M. Lawless Collection, 1952-1965, (Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home)