Deane C. Davis

Deane Chandler Davis
Official Vermont State House portrait
74th Governor of Vermont
In office January 9, 1969 – January 4, 1973
Lieutenant	Thomas L. Hayes John S. Burgess
Preceded by	Philip H. Hoff
Succeeded by	Thomas P. Salmon
Personal details
Born	(1900-11-07)November 7, 1900 East Barre, Vermont
Died	December 8, 1990(1990-12-08) (aged 90) Berlin, Vermont
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Corinne Eastman Davis (From 1924 until her death in 1951) & Marjorie Smith Conzelman Davis (From 1952 until his death in 1990)
Profession	Lawyer / Judge / Insurance Executive / Politician

Deane Chandler Davis (November 7, 1900 – December 8, 1990) was the 74th Governor of Vermont from 1969 to 1973.

Early life and career

Deane Davis was born in East Barre, Vermont on November 7, 1900. He studied at Boston University School of Law while participating in the Student Army Training Corps during World War I. He received his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1922 and became a lawyer in Barre.^[1][2][3][4]

A Republican, Davis served in local offices including member of the City Council and City Attorney. From 1926 to 1928 he was Washington County State's Attorney.^[5] From 1931 to 1936 Davis was a Judge of the Vermont Superior Court.^[6] As a leader of the party, Davis also attended numerous state and national conventions as a Delegate, including the 1948 Republican National Convention.

In the 1930s Davis practiced law in partnership with Stanley C. Wilson, F. Ray Keyser, Sr., and J. Ward Carver. Their firm was described as Vermont’s “best ever collection of legal talent,” in that it produced one Vermont Supreme Court Justice (Carver), two Governors (Wilson and Davis), and one state Attorney General (Carver).^[7]

In 1940 Davis left private practice to become General Counsel for National Life Insurance Company. In 1942 he became President of the Vermont Bar Association. In 1943 was appointed a Vice President of National Life. He was named President in 1950, and served as Chief Executive Officer from 1960 to 1966. From 1966 to 1968 Davis was National Life's Chairman of the Board.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Governor of Vermont

From 1969 to 1973 Davis served as Governor. His governorship was out of the ordinary because he assumed office at a relatively advanced age, and because he had not served the usual "apprenticeship" of previous successful Republican nominees for Governor, which typically included leadership positions in the Vermont House of Representatives or Vermont Senate, or lesser state offices such as Lieutenant Governor. His governorship was particularly noteworthy for the creation of a state sales tax. Davis also oversaw the 1970 enactment of Act 250, a law designed to allow for planned real estate sale and development while also safeguarding the environment, community life, and aesthetic character of the state.^[12][13][14]

Career as author

In his retirement he authored three books, including 1980's Justice in the Mountains, 1982's Nothin' but the Truth, and 1991's Deane C. Davis: An Autobiography.

Death and burial

Davis died in Berlin on December 8, 1990.^[15] He was interred in Barre's Elmwood Cemetery.^[16]

Deane C. Davis Outstanding Business Award

Named for the former Governor Deane C. Davis, the award annually honors a Vermont business that shows an outstanding history of sustained growth while displaying an acute awareness of what makes Vermont unique. The award is sponsored by Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.

The criteria for the Award include:

• Growth in sales or employment
• Commitment of company resources for participation in community projects.
• Encouragement to employees to be involved in community events.
• Recognition of the importance of the environment to the state as a natural and economic resource.
• Addressing employee concerns/needs to create a positive work environment for all employees.
• Major accomplishment(s) in the past year in any or all of the criteria
• Nominated businesses must have been based in Vermont for at least 10 years.^[17]

Deane C. Davis Memorial Award

Davis was a noted horseman and proponent of the Morgan horse breed, including service as President of the Morgan Horse Club, Inc.^[18] The Vermont Morgan Horse Association created the Deane C. Davis Memorial Award in his honor. The Davis Award is presented annually to a person who has a long history of service to the Morgan Horse, but that may have made their contribution quietly and steadily over the years.^[19]

References

Works

• Justice in the Mountains: Stories and Tales by a Vermont Country Lawyer. New England Press. 1980. ISBN 0-933050-05-4. 
• Nothing but the Truth. New England Press. 1982. ISBN 0-933050-14-3. 
• Deane C. Davis: An Autobiography. New England Press. 1990. ISBN 0-933050-91-7. 

Sources

• The Political Graveyard
• The Vermont Encyclopedia, edited by John J. Duffy, Samuel B. Hand and Ralph H. Orth, 2003, page 102

External links

• Inventory of Deane C. Davis Papers, Special Collections, University of Vermont Library

Governors of Vermont Vermont Republic (1777–91) Chittenden Robinson Chittenden State of Vermont (since 1791) Chittenden Brigham Tichenor I. Smith Tichenor Galusha M. Chittenden Galusha Skinner Van Ness Butler Crafts Palmer Jennison Paine Mattocks Slade Eaton Coolidge Williams E. Fairbanks Robinson Royce Fletcher Hall E. Fairbanks Holbrook G. Smith P. Dillingham Page Washburn Hendee Stewart Converse Peck H. Fairbanks R. Proctor Sr. Farnham Barstow Pingree Ormsbee W.P. Dillingham Page Fuller Woodbury Grout E. Smith Stickney McCullough Bell F. Proctor Prouty Mead Fletcher Gates Graham Clement Hartness R. Proctor Jr. Billings Weeks Wilson C. Smith Aiken Wills M. Proctor Gibson Arthur Emerson Johnson Stafford Keyser Hoff Davis Salmon Snelling Kunin Snelling Dean Douglas Shumlin Italics indicate acting governor