James E. Reveley

James E. Reveley (January 2, 1944 - January 18, 2023) was an American mortician, dentist, and consumer advocate for the regulation of the American funeral industry. Through the 1970s, he helped push the Texas Legislature to overhaul the funeral industry's oversight body, eliminate antiquated laws requiring embalming, and pass ground-breaking legislation to protect grieving consumers from exploitative practices. Following his success in Texas, Reveley continued his fight at the national level helping the Federal Trade Commission's Funeral Rule overcome industry opposition and survive congressional veto, transforming the way the funeral industry operates nationwide.

Early years and career Reveley was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and graduated in 1962 from Highlands High School on the southeast side of the city. At the age of 16 he took a job in the funeral industry, working his way up from collecting the bodies of the recently deceased to becoming a licensed mortician and funeral director.

Eventually Reveley grew frustrated at the emphasis on up-selling grieving clients and quit his job as a funeral director to enroll in dental school, continuing to work as an embalmer to cover his costs. Upon graduation he began to practice dentistry in San Antonio.

In 1978, Reveley returned to the funeral industry, opening Reveley Memorial Services in San Antonio where he began providing low-cost funerals to his community. Finally, in 1984, the Federal Trade Commission enacted the Funeral Rule, designed to protect consumers by requiring that funeral providers and morticians give adequate information concerning the goods and services they offer, show consumers price lists before finalizing sales, and allow consumers to choose which funeral goods and services they want.

In response to his activism, Reveley received death threats and drew the ire of the entire industry. Although he won his libel suit against the publisher, a federal judge set aside the jury-awarded defamation damages on appeal.