Rodric Bray


Rodrick D. "Rod" Bray is an American politician who is a current member of the Indiana State Senate. A member of the Republican Party, Bray was sworn into office on November 20, 2012. Bray represents Indiana's 37th district, serving all of Morgan County and parts of the counties of Johnson, Owen and Putnam.

Early life and education

Rodric was born to parents Maurine D. and Richard Bray in 1969. His father, Richard, served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 1974 to 1992 and in the Indiana Senate from to 1994 to 2012, where he was the Assistant Majority Caucus Chair. His grandfather, William G. Bray, served in the United States Army during World War II and in the United States House of Representatives from 1951 to 1975, representing Indiana's 6th and 7th congressional districts.
Bray is a graduate of Martinsville High School. He attended Indiana University Bloomington, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in History in 1991. Bray also attended Valparaiso University, where he graduated with his Juris Doctor from the Valparaiso University School of Law in 1994.

Early career

After graduating and passing the bar in 1994, Bray served as a deputy prosecuting attorney in Morgan County, Indiana until 1997. He then entered private practice, where he was an attorney with Harris & Currens, and was elected Chairman of the Morgan County Republican Party on August 18, 1998, after the incumbent party chair, Joan Gray, resigned. He served as Chair until March 2005. He was succeeded by Martin Weaver as County Party Chair.
On August 18, 2003, Bray was appointed City Attorney of Martinsville by Mayor Shannon Buskirk, after the death of incumbent Robert St. Clair. Bray served as city attorney until 2007. He was succeeded by Roger Coffin as City Attorney.
After serving as city attorney, Bray became a member of the Morgan County Election Board and the general counsel to the Martinsville Plan Commission and Board of Zoning. Bray has also served on the board of directors for Home Bank since 2008.

Indiana State Senate

After the retirement of five term incumbent, and father, Richard, Rodric Bray declared his candidacy for Indiana's 37th district and officially filed to run for the Indiana State Senate on January 24, 2012. Bray faced insurance agent and Morgan County Councilman Ryan Goodwin in the Republican Primary. Bray defeated Goodwin 10,115 to 8,333 votes, or 54.8% to 46.2%, in the May 8, 2012 Republican primary. Bray went on to face cement truck driver and President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local Union, Democratic Jim Cahill, in the general election. Bray prevailed in the November 6 general election with 36,959 votes, to Cahill's 14,947, or 71.2% to 28.8%.
Bray was sworn into office on November 20, 2012 by Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court Brent Dickson. Bray's district represents all of Morgan County and parts of Johnson, Owen and Putnam counties.
Bray currently serves on the Senate Committees for:
In 2018, Bray was named Majority leader of the Indiana Senate, after the incumbent, Brandt Hershman, resigned.
On May 14, 2018, Bray was elected President pro tempore of the Indiana Senate. Mark Messmer was elected to replace him. Both of them will take office in November 2018.
Bray currently resides in Martinsville, Indiana with his wife, Kelly, and their two sons. Bray is a practicing Methodist and attends the First United Methodist Church of Martinsville, where he serves as a member of the Pastor Parish Committee and is a Sunday school teacher.