 John W. Davis Papers, Series VI: General File
Collection DescriptionBiographical NoteJohn W. Davis, Jr. was born in Rome, Georgia on September 12, 1916 to John Camp Davis and Era DeLay. He graduated from the University of Georgia in Athens with an A.B. in 1937 and an LL.B. in 1939. He was admitted to the bar in 1939 and commenced practicing law in Rome, Georgia. Davis served in the War Department Headquarters from July 1942 to December 1945, and was assigned to the Counter Intelligence Corps, serving for a time in South America. He moved to Summerville, Georgia in 1946 and resumed practicing law. From December 27, 1950 to January 1, 1953, he served as solicitor general of the Rome Circuit. Davis was elected judge of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit for six years, and served from January 1, 1955 , until his resignation December 31, 1960. The following year, Davis was elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-seventh and to the six succeeding Congresses (1961-1975). Davis served on the House Administration Committee (1965-1970), the House Foreign Affairs Committee (1971-1974), and the Science and Astronautics Committee (1961-1974), chairing the Subcommittee of Science, Research, and Development. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1974 to the Ninety-fourth Congress. He married Vivian Hawkins of Walker County, Georgia on February 6, 1944, and they had three children, Katherine, John W. Jr., and Mary Ellen. Vivian died in 1969, and, later in life, Davis married Bridget Christmo. Davis practiced law in St. Simons Island until his death on October 3, 1992. Scope and ContentJohn W. Davis Papers, Series VI: General File contains a variety of material and correspondence, reports, press releases, and grants especially in the early years. The General File, as well as, Legislative, reflect the increasing sophistication of Davis' filing system. In the years 1961 to 1968 (87th - 89th Congresses) General Correspondence-Subject Files includes legislative correspondence. The 1969 and 1970 material is filed together, as was 1971 and 1972. However, 1973 and 1974 were both filed separately (with the exception of the federal agencies and county files which were maintained together). Topics include roads and interstates (I-75), water resource management (Carters Dam and Coosa River), Lockheed Corporation, rural electrification, busing for integration and civil rights, county grants, housing, Medicare, and science and technology. The correspondence contains correspondence, clippings, and reports, and 7th district cases and projects championed by Davis. Federal Agencies and Department files contain correspondence and material in which Davis attempts to facilitate communication between his constituents and the Federal government. Also housed here are agency clarification of policy and reports on agency activity in the Seventh District. The county files contain primarily constituent request for assistance in getting Federal funds, Davis grant releases (duplicates of ones found in Series I. Speech-Press), Federal agency releases, clippings about grants. Some non-grant correspondence about the county is also contained. For the years 1972 to 1974, the county file contains much of the same type correspondence as Series XII. Federal Funding. Though some shifting of material in the General File was done to establish consistency, the categorization of the files by years is not always precise. For example, some of the later months of 1968 are found in 1969 to 1970. Organization and ArrangementThis series is organized into three subseries: correspondence, federal agencies and departments, and counties. Administrative InformationPreferred CitationJohn W. Davis Papers, Richard B. Russell Library for political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641. Processing NotesPhotographs and artifacts have been removed from the papers for preservation. Some newspaper clippings were photocopied and newspaper print removed from the collection. User RestrictionsLibrary acts as "fair use" reproduction agent. Copyright InformationBefore material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original. Finding Aid PublicationFinding aid prepared on: 2008. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this Repository
Robert G. Stephens, Jr. Papers Richard B. Russell, Jr. Collection | ||||||||||||||||||||