G. Ray Arnett

George Raymond Arnett (June 14, 1924 – June 20, 2019) was an American conservationist, government official, and lobbyist who was the California Fish and Game Commissioner, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, and executive vice president of the National Rifle Association of America.

Early life and military service Arnett was born on Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia and moved to California when he was seven years old.

Career Arnett graduated from the University of Southern California in 1947 spent twenty years as a geologist for the Richfield Oil Corporation. He ran against Hagen again in 1962 (this time in the 18th district), and lost 59% to 41%.

From 1969 to 1975, Arnett was Fish and Game Commissioner of California. From 1976 to 1978, he was president of the National Wildlife Federation.

On January 26, 1985, Arnett was appointed interim executive vice president of the National Rifle Association by the group's board of directors. On April 20, 1985, he defeated Neal Knox 2,014 votes to 887 to win a five-year term. On May 17, 1986, the NRA board of directors fired Arnett, alleging that he had used organization funds to pay for personal hunting trips, fired the entire public education staff without consulting the board, and promoted a female employee with whom he had a personal relationship.

After leaving the NRA, Arnett founded Arnett Associates, a consulting firm that assisted businesses with the state and federal permitting processes. He died on June 20, 2019, at a nursing home in Stockton, California.