Ray, Dixy Lee (1914-1994), was governor of the state of Washington from 1977 to 1981. She had been chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) from 1973 until it was dissolved in 1975. From January to June 1975, Ray served as assistant secretary of state for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs. In 1973, when the nation faced serious fuel shortages, President Richard M. Nixon asked Ray to prepare a plan to develop new sources of energy. She proposed a $10-billion research and development program. It included such projects as the development of new forms of nuclear power generation and new ways to manufacture gaseous and liquid fuels from coal. Ray also started a campaign to eliminate defects in nuclear power plants.
Ray was born in Tacoma, Washington, on Sept. 3, 1914. She attended Mills College (now Mills College at Northeastern University) in Oakland, California, receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1937 and a master’s degree in 1938. She earned a doctorate in marine biology from Stanford University in 1945. From 1945 to 1972, she served as a marine zoologist on the faculty of the University of Washington. She became an AEC commissioner in 1972. Ray died on March 15, 1994.
