Ray Powell

Ray Bennett Powell is an American Democratic politician and veterinarian from the state of New Mexico. He served as New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands from 1993 until 2003, and again from 2011 until 2015.

Powell was born in Albuquerque. He graduated from the University of New Mexico in 1977, receiving a bachelor's degree in anthropology and biology. In 1980, Powell received a master's degree from the University in botany and plant ecology. In 1985, he received a doctorate from Tufts University in veterinary medicine.

Powell entered politics by running for Governor of New Mexico in the 1986 election. He lost to Garrey Carruthers, receiving 47% of the vote.

In 1993, Powell was appointed as New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands by Governor Bruce King. He was elected to a full term in 1994 and reelected in 1998. Due to term limits, Powell could not run again in 2002. He ran again in 2006 and narrowly lost to Jim Baca, whom he had succeeded in 1993, in the Democratic primary. Powell ran once again in 2010 and this time was successful. He lost in 2014 to Republican Aubrey Dunn Jr. by a margin of 704 votes out of nearly 500,000 cast. Between his terms as Land Commissioner, Powell served as a member of the Department of Agriculture's Committee on Foreign Animal and Poultry Diseases.