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	November 7, 1900 East Barre, Vermont
Died	December 8, 1990 (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)
Alma mater	Boston University (LL.B.)
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, the son of Earle R. Davis (1867-1945) and Lois S. Hillery (1870-1952). Earle Davis was an attorney who served as state's attorney for Washington County and county probate judge.

The younger Davis attended the schools of Barre, and graduated from Spaulding High School in 1918. 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

1. Vermont Legislative Directory, by Vermont Secretary of State, 1971, page 555
2. Newspaper article, From Boston Bootblack to Vermont Judge, Davis' Story, Boston Globe, October 21, 1931
3. Cyclopedia of Insurance in the United States, 1958, page 875
4. The Blue Book: Leaders of the English-Speaking World, Thomson Gale, 1973, page 347
5. The International Who's Who, 1974-75, Europa Publications Limited, 1974, page 395
6. The Vermont Bar Journal, by Vermont Bar Association, Volume 28, 2002, page 14
7. "Obituary, F. Ray Keyser, Sr.". The Herald of Randolph (Randolph, VT). March 15, 2001.
8. The National Underwriter, Volume 47, 1943, page 48
9. Newspaper article, Insurance Report Shows Asset Rise, New York Times, January 27, 1943
10. Newspaper article, Quits The National Life; F.A. Howland Retires After 40 Years With Insurance Company, New York Times, January 27, 1943
11. The Vermont Bar Journal & Law Digest, by Vermont Bar Association, Volume 22, 1996, page 44
12. Davis Leads Vermont GOP Sweep of All Statewide Offices, Christian Science Monitor, November 7, 1968
13. Newspaper article, Gov. Davis Says He'll Bow, His Goals for Vermont Met, Boston Globe, April 4, 1972
14. Newspaper article, Deane Chandler Davis Dies at 90; Vermont Governor for Two Terms, by Wolfgang Saxon, New York Times, December 10, 1990
15. Vermont Death Records, 1909-2008, record for Deane Chandler Davis, accessed via Ancestry.com, April 1, 2012
16. Gravestone photos by contributor Bill McKern, Find A Grave.com page for Deane Chandler Davis, accessed April 1, 2012
17. Deane C. Davis Award page, Vermont Chamber of Commerce web site, accessed April 1, 2012
18. Exploring Agriculture: An Introduction to Food and Agriculture, by Everett F. Evans and Roy Luther Donahue, 1973, page 458
19. Deane C. Davis Memorial Award page, Vermont Morgan Horse Association web site, accessed April 1, 2012

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