Jim Davis | |
|---|---|
| Born | James S. Davis (1943-05-17)May 17, 1943 (age 82) Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Education | Worcester Academy |
| Alma mater | Middlebury College |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Owner & chairman ofNew Balance; co-founder ofMajor League Lacrosse |
| Children | 2 |
James S. Davis (born May 17, 1943) is an Americanbillionaire businessman, the owner and chairman ofNew Balance, and an early investor inMajor League Lacrosse.[1][2]
Davis was born in 1943,[1] inBrookline, Massachusetts,[3] the son ofGreek immigrants.[4] He attendedWorcester Academy, and he received a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry fromMiddlebury College in 1966.[5] While in college, he playedcollege football.[2][5]
Davis started his career as a sales engineer at the LFE Corporation inWaltham, Massachusetts, and as marketing manager for the Applied Geodata Systems Division of Techven Associates ofCambridge, Massachusetts. In 1972, he bought New Balance, then only a 6-employee firm inBoston, and turned it into a 4,000-employee global corporation with revenues averaging around $2.5 billion every year.[1] He has been a board member of theSporting Goods Manufacturers Association, the International Athletic Footwear & Apparel Manufacturers Association, and the Two/Ten Foundation.[6] He also sits on the board of directors of the Citizen's Bank inProvidence, Rhode Island.[6]
He has donated $5 million to theUniversity of Maine.[1] He is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from his alma mater, Middlebury College.[1] A library on its campus has also been named for him.[5] He formerly sat on its board of trustees, on the Worcester Academy's, and onNewbury College's.[7] He sits on the board of trustees of theSports Museum of New England and formerlyBoston Children's Museum.[8]
As of 2017, Davis is the 324th richest person in the world, and the 94th richest in the United States, with an estimated wealth of US$5.1 billion.[1]
Davis is married, and has two children.[1] He lives inNewton, Massachusetts.[1]
Davis has donated $500,000 toMitt Romney'sSuper PAC,Restore Our Future.[9][10]
Davis is a major Republican donor,[11] and has been a major donor to the campaigns ofDonald Trump.[12][13] He donated almost $400,000 to theTrump Victory Committee in September 2016.[14] In an interview given toWall Street Journal reporter Sara Germano on the day following the2016 presidential election ofDonald Trump, a New Balance senior executive suggested support for Trump due to his opposition to theTrans-Pacific Partnership. Widely reported social-media reaction documented numerous New Balance owners destroying or disposing of their shoes—with many pledging lifetime boycotts of the company.[15][16][17]
Davis gave $495,000 to asuper PAC supporting2021 Boston mayoral election candidateAnnissa Essaibi George, who won second place in the preliminary election in September, enough to advance to the general election.[18] Davis supported a campaign against the "Fair Share" amendment in Massachusetts, which increased taxes on annual incomes above $1 million by 4% and passed in 2022.[19][20]
For the2023 Boston City Council election, he prominently backed a slate of candidates. His slate all ran as challengers to other candidates backed by MayorMichelle Wu.[21] This was unsuccessful, as all of the candidates that Wu had endorsed won election.[22] On April 1, 2025, he gave $1 million to theSuper PAC Your City, Your Future, which supportedJosh Kraft's campaign against Wu in the2025 Boston mayoral election.[23]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| International | |
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