John Ray in a native of Lebanon, TN. He graduated from Lebanon High School with honors and earned his B.A. in History from Columbia University in New York City where he rowed on the Columbia lightweight crew and worked with visiting professor George Stephanopoulos and in the Office of the General Counsel. During college he also interned for U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers (D-Ark.) in Washington, DC. Following graduation, he returned to DC to work as a legislative aide in the U.S. House of Representatives. He then returned to Tennessee to work on a U.S. Senate campaign before becoming the statewide Political Director for the Tennessee Democratic Party. Following this, he attended the University of Memphis School of Law from August 2004 to December 2006 when he earned his Juris Doctor degree and promptly gained admission to the Tennessee Bar in May 2007.

John Ray is married to Tamara Baxt Clemmons, and they have three sons, two guinea pigs and one dog.

Having privately practiced law since November 2007 with boutique civil litigation firms Blackburn McCune and Chaffin & Burnsed, John Ray and his lifelong friend Michael Clemons co-founded and formed their own law practice, Clemmons & Clemons, PLLC, in 2013. As a litigator, John Ray has represented clients on a wide range of legal issues in federal and state courts, from civil rights to torts and contracts. John Ray is a Fellow with the Nashville Bar Foundation, a former Barrister with the American Inns of Court, and a member of the Nashville and Tennessee Bar Associations. He has also provided pro bono legal services to local artists and entrepreneurs through the Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts.

John Ray has represented District 55 in the Tennessee General Assembly since November 4, 2014.

Prior to elected office and since, John Ray has served in multiple public capacities throughout our Nashville community, including as chairman of the board for Nashville RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner-Cities), former president of Belmont-Hillsboro Neighbors, Inc. and active ex officio steering committee member, member of the board of directors for Friends of Sevier Park, Inc., a member of the Metro Board of Fair Commissioners, and member of the Tennessee Civil Service Commission. Additionally, John Ray continues to represent his alma mater as an active member of the Columbia Alumni Association of Nashville and Columbia’s Alumni Representative Committee. He also coaches his sons’ sports teams at McCabe Park Little League, MBA Core Hoops, and MBA 1Heart Flag Football.