Verne F. Ray

Verne Frederick Ray, (1905 – September 28, 2003) was anthropology professor at the University of Washington, with a B.A. and M.A. in anthropology from Washington and a Ph.D. (in 1937) from Yale. Ray was one of the first anthropologists at UW, was head of the Department of Anthropology and associate dean of the graduate school.

He is known best for assisting Northwest tribes with tribal land-claim settlements and is viewed as pioneer in the field of ethnohistory. The Cowlitz tribe, which he helped gain federal recognition, made him an honorary member in 2000. Some of his papers are held at Gonzaga University.

He was married to fellow anthropologist and author Dorothy Jean Ray.