Rayford Shumock (1933 - 1979)

Rayford Shumock’s biography is built and maintained by people like you. Create an online profile of Rayford so that his life is remembered forever. If any factual information is incorrect, please edit Rayford’s biography.

Pictures really do say a thousand words. Add photos of Rayford during various points of his life.

1933 - In the year that Rayford Shumock was born, Frances Perkins became the first woman to hold a cabinet-level position, appointed by President Roosevelt to serve as Secretary of Labor. She told him that her priorities would be a 40-hour work week, a minimum wage, unemployment compensation, worker’s compensation, abolition of child labor, direct federal aid to the states for unemployment relief, Social Security, a revitalized federal employment service, and universal health insurance. President Roosevelt approved of all of them and most them were implemented during his terms as President. She served until his death in 1945.

1942 - By the time he was just 9 years old, on February 19th, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. This authorized the Secretary of War to "prescribe certain areas as military zones." On March 21st, he signed Public Law 503 which was approved after an hour discussion in the Senate and 30 minutes in the House. The Law provided for enforcement of his Executive Order. This cleared the way for approximately 120,000 men, women, and children of Japanese ancestry to be evicted from the West Coast and to be held in concentration camps and other confinement sites across the country. In Hawaii, a few thousand were detained. German and Italian Americans in the U.S. were also confined.

1964 - He was 31 years old when on June 11th, activist Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment in South Africa for conspiring to overthrow the state (because of his numerous anti-apartheid activities). He served 27 years in prison.

1977 - By the time he was 44 years old, on January 21st, President Carter pardoned "draft dodgers" - men who avoided the draft during the Vietnam War. He fulfilled a campaign promise with the pardon. But it only applied to civilian evaders - the estimated 500,000 to 1 million active-duty personnel who went AWOL were not included.

1979 - In the year of Rayford Shumock's passing, on November 4th, Iranian militant students seized the US embassy in Teheran and held 52 American citizens and diplomats hostage for 444 days. They were released at the end of the inauguration speech of the newly elected Ronald Reagan.

Who was Rayford’s parents? Did he get married and did they have children? Share Rayford’s family tree to share his legacy and genealogy pedigree.

What do you remember about Rayford Shumock? Share your memories of special moments and stories you have heard about him. Or just leave a comment to show the world that Rayford is remembered.