Bio of GRAY, William Irving, Hennepin Co., MN ========================================================================= USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. If you have found this file through a source other than the MNArchives Table Of Contents you can find other Minnesota related Archives at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm Please note the county and type of file at the top of this page to find the submitter information or other files for this county. FileFormat by Terri--MNArchives Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Laura Pruden Submitted: June 2003 ========================================================================= Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ======================================================== submitted by Laura Pruden, email Raisndustbunys@aol.com ======================================================== EXTRACTED FROM: History of Minneapolis, Gateway to the Northwest; Chicago-Minneapolis, The S J Clarke Publishing Co, 1923; Edited by: Rev. Marion Daniel Shutter, D.D., LL.D.; Volume I - Shutter (Historical); volume II - Biographical; volume III - Biographical WILLIAM IRVING GRAY - Vol III, pg 566-569 William Irving Gray, one of the leading business men of Minneapolis and an electrical engineer of more than ordinary ability, is devoting his efforts to the construction of public utilities and his work has been of a most important character and of great usefulness and value. He was born at Lake City, Wabasha county, Minnesota, and his parents, Alexander and Mary (Dingwall) Gray, were natives of Scotland and representatives of old families of that country. They left the land of hills and heather and came to the United States, making their way to Minnesota in 1862. The father acquired a farm in Wabasha county and cleared and developed his land, on which the family resided for many years. It was on that place that William I. Gray spent the days of his boyhood, attending the district schools and the Lake City high school, which was situated about eight miles distant from his home. He afterward became a student at the University of Minnesota, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Engineering in 1892, on the completion of a course in electrical engineering, while in 1898 the degree of Master of Engineering was conferred upon him. For a period of two years after his graduation he followed his profession in the service of others. In 1894 he started in business for himself in Minneapolis as a contracting engineer, organizing the firm of W. I. Gray & Company, of which he has since been the head. He has established and operated a number of electric lighting plants throughout the country, among which may be mentioned that of the Wheaton Electric Light Company of Wheaton, Minnesota, which he successfully controlled for ten years, and for eleven years he operated the plant of the Kirlin-Gray Electric Company at Watertown, South Dakota. In 1908 he organized the Belden, Porter & Gray Company and in 1913 the Schumacher-Gray Company, Limited, of Winnipeg, Canada, was formed. The firm takes contracts for the construction of electric lighting, heating, ventilating, plumbing and, in fact, mechanical plants of all kinds and conducts an extensive local business, while it also operates in several adjoining states and in the western section of Canada. W. I. Gray & Company executed the contract for the mechanical equipment of the new Minnesota state capitol, including the power house building and tunnel, the boiler and steam power plant, the electric generator plant, electric wiring and conduit system, plumbing and the heating, and ventilating plant. Mr. Gray's expert knowledge of the practical and scientific phases of his profession enables him to find a ready and correct solution for intricate technical problems and his work represents the highest degree of efficiency in his line. In 1899 Mr. Gray was united in marriage to Miss Isabelle W. Welles and they have become the parents of two sons: Welles Alexander and Franklin Dingwall. He is a member of St. Paul's Episcopal church, the Rotary Club, the Minneapolis Athletic Club and the Professional Men's Club, while fraternally he has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in Masonry, belonging to Minneapolis Consistory and to Zuhrah Temple of the Mystic Shrine. For three years he served as president of the University of Minnesota General Alumni Association and for two years he occupied the presidency of the Minneapolis Builders Exchange. He is also identified with the Engineers Club of Minneapolis, of which he acted as president for one year. In politics Mr. Gray maintains an independent attitude, supporting the candidates whom he deems best qualified for office, and has never been unmindful of the duties of citizenship, taking a deep and helpful interest in those projects which are basic elements in a city's growth. From 1899 until 1909 he served as president of the state board of electricity and is regarded as an authority on this subject. He has made steady progress in his profession, working his way upward through his well developed powers and marked ability, his experience and study continually bringing him a wider knowledge and greater efficiency.