Glenn Davis | |
|---|---|
 Davis in 1956 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWisconsin | |
| In office January 3, 1965 – December 31, 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Lester Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Bob Kasten |
| Constituency | 9th district |
| In office April 22, 1947 – January 3, 1957 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Henry |
| Succeeded by | Donald Tewes |
| Constituency | 2nd district |
| Member of theWisconsin State Assembly from theWaukesha 1st district | |
| In office January 6, 1941 – June 1942 | |
| Preceded by | Lyle E. Douglass |
| Succeeded by | Frederic Woodhead |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Glenn Robert Davis (1914-10-28)October 28, 1914 Vernon, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | September 21, 1988(1988-09-21) (aged 73) Arlington, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Children | Mac |
| Education | University of Wisconsin, Platteville (BA) University of Wisconsin, Madison (JD) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Glenn Robert Davis (October 28, 1914 – September 21, 1988) was an American educator and lawyer who served as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives forWisconsin. He representedWisconsin's 2nd congressional district from April 22, 1947 to January 3, 1957, andWisconsin's 9th congressional district from January 3, 1965 to December 31, 1974.[1]
Davis was born on a small farm to a poor family inVernon, Wisconsin. He excelled academically despite pressure from his father to forsake school for farming. He skipped several grades and was a teacher of the younger children in his one-room school house before he graduated three years early fromMukwonago High School in 1930 at 15.
Davis attended the Platteville State Teachers College (now theUniversity of Wisconsin–Platteville) with a donation from his mother (who had been hiding the money from her husband for just such an occasion). He majored in education and went on to teach high school atCottage Grove andWaupun for five years. Davis then went back to school, earning aJuris Doctor degree from theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison in 1940.
After passing the bar, Davis opened a law firm inWaukesha, Wisconsin. From this perch, he launched his first campaign for public office, with a successful bid for theWisconsin State Assembly in 1940.
He later lived inNew Berlin, Wisconsin, andWauwatosa, Wisconsin.
After a year in the legislature, Davis resigned his seat to join theU.S. Navy, after the Japanese attack onPearl Harbor. Lieutenant Davis served as the Communications officer aboard theUSSSangamon (CVE-26), an escort carrier. The ship sustained akamikaze attack in the latter days of the war off ofOkinawa, which Davis survived.
Davis resumed the practice of law after being honorably discharged from the Navy, on December 12, 1945. He also stepped up his involvement in politics, serving briefly as a local court commissioner and attendingRepublican Party functions. Davis was elected as a delegate to everyRepublican National Convention from 1952 to 1972.
In 1947, Davis ran in the special election to succeedRobert Kirkland Henry, a Republican congressman who died just weeks after being elected to a second term. Davis served five terms in the House of Representatives representing Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district, before deciding to seek higher office in 1956. Instead of running for reelection, he launched an unsuccessful primary challenge to incumbent Republican SenatorAlexander Wiley.
In 1957, Davis lobbied unsuccessfully to become the GOP candidate in the special election to replace the late SenatorJoseph McCarthy. The Republican nod instead went to former Gov.Walter J. Kohler Jr., who went on to lose the seat to DemocratWilliam Proxmire. Davis subsequently returned to his law practice.
Eight years later, in 1964, Davis made a successful comeback bid by winning the open ninth congressional district, left open due to redistricting. He served another four terms before losing in the 1974 primary to a conservative up-and-comer, State SenatorBob Kasten. Davis felt he was hurt by the then-unpopular pardon ofRichard Nixon by then PresidentGerald Ford on the Sunday before the primary election. Davis had been closely associated with Ford and Nixon, being in the Oval Office the night the former president (Nixon) resigned.
Davis's congressional service was marked by a generally conservative record that grew more moderate in the early 1970s. He achieved perhaps his greatest mark as a close friend and golf partner of House Minority LeaderGerald Ford. Davis was also the starshortstop for the "Washington Senators," a recreational baseball team made up solely of congressmen.
To this day, Davis remains the sole native of Waukesha County to have held congressional office.[citation needed]
Davis voted in favor of theVoting Rights Act[2] andCivil Rights Act of 1968.[3]
After his loss in the primary, Davis resigned on December 31, 1974, just days before his term would have otherwise ended. He moved permanently toArlington, Virginia. Davis worked as a consultant for Potter International, Inc. from 1975 to 1983.
Davis died in Arlington on September 21, 1988 at the age of 73.
Part of Davis's legacy is the Glenn R. Davis Charitable Foundation, a scholarship organization funded and administered by his family. The Glenn Davis Charitable Foundation gives a monetary award to one graduating student in each Waukesha County high school every year. The award is granted to a student who has done something to overcome substantial obstacles, reflecting Davis's own rise from a family of pickle farmers to U.S. congressman.
Glenn Davis' sonJ. Mac Davis formerly served as aWisconsin Circuit Court judge, Waukesha County, and a Wisconsin State Senator.[4]
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWisconsin's 2nd congressional district 1947–1957 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWisconsin's 9th congressional district 1965–1974 | Succeeded by |
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