James Mitchel Ray, born in Caldwell, New Jersey, the son of a Scottish immigrant from Kippen, had a long career in Indiana law and governance, serving as Clerk of the Marion County Circuit Court and as Cashier of the Bank of Indiana.
James Ray faced financial ruin after a disastrous mining investment, but he was able to get a well-paying position with the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C.[2] From 1848 to 1849, Charles Ray attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, but was forced to leave Brown early after his father became ill.
Returning to Indianapolis, Ray formed a law partnership with a former judge, James Morrison, remaining at his private practice until 1861.
The most famous case the court heard during Ray's time on the bench was Smith v. Moody, which resulted in the Lincoln four unanimously ruling to strike down Article 13 of the Indiana Constitution, which barred African Americans and multiracial individuals from settling in Indiana or entering into a contract.
In 1881, Postmaster General Thomas Lemuel James appointed Ray law clerk of the Post Office Department.