Deane Chandler Davis (November 7, 1900December 8, 1990) was an American attorney and insurance executive from Vermont. Long active in Republican politics, he is most notable for his service as the 74th

governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

from 1969 to 1973.

Early life

Deane Davis was born in

East Barre, Vermont East Barre is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Barre, Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population of the CDP was 826 at the 2010 census. Prior to 2010, East Barre was part of the Graniteville-East Barre CDP, which co ...

, on November 7, 1900, the son of Earle Russell Davis (1867-1945) and Lois Salome Hillery (1870-1952). Earle Davis was an attorney who served as

state's attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

for Washington County and county

probate judge A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

. The younger Davis attended the schools of

Barre Barre or Barré may refer to: * Barre (name) or Barré, a surname and given name Places United States * Barre, Massachusetts, a New England town ** Barre (CDP), Massachusetts, the central village in the town * Barre, New York, a town * Barre (c ...

, and graduated from Spaulding High School in 1918. As Davis related in a 1978 interview, he intended to begin college after high school, but became ill during that year's

influenza pandemic An influenza pandemic is an epidemic of an influenza virus that spreads across a large region (either multiple continents or worldwide) and infects a large proportion of the population. There have been six major influenza epidemics in the last ...

and did not recover until September. In searching for a university in which he could enroll after recovering, Davis sought one that had a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

-era

Student Army Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

program that would enable him to pay for his expenses. He discovered that the only place on the east coast that met this requirement was

Boston University School of Law Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an eli ...

, which required two years of liberal arts education. The dean of the law school agreed to enroll Davis provided that he simultaneously complete the liberal arts requirements. He studied at the law school while participating in the SATC program, received his

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

degree in 1922, and became a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

Career

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, Davis served in local offices including member of the city council and city attorney. From 1927 to 1928 he was Washington County

State's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

. From 1931 to 1936 Davis was a judge of the

Vermont Superior Court The Judiciary of Vermont is the state court system of Vermont, charged with Vermont law. Vermont Constitution The Vermont courts are established in the Vermont Constitution in sections 28-41 (Judiciary Department). The justices of the Vermont S ...

, having been appointed to fill the vacancy created when

Warner A. Graham Warner A. Graham (January 9, 1884 – January 28, 1934) was a Vermont attorney and judge. He was notable for his service as a judge of the Vermont Superior Court and an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court. Early life Warner Aiken Graha ...

was appointed to the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

. As a leader of the party, Davis also attended numerous state and national conventions as a delegate, including the

1948 Republican National Convention The 1948 Republican National Convention was held at the Municipal Auditorium, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from June 21 to 25, 1948. New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey had paved the way to win the Republican presidential nomination in the pr ...

. In the 1930s Davis practiced law in partnership with

Stanley C. Wilson Stanley Calef Wilson (September 10, 1879 – October 5, 1967) was an American politician, attorney, and businessman from Vermont. He served as the 57th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1929 to 1931 and the 62nd governor of Vermont from 1931 ...

F. Ray Keyser Sr. Frank Ray Keyser Sr. (September 29, 1898 – March 7, 2001) was an American politician, lawyer, and judge from Vermont. He was a lawyer in private practice and later a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court. His son F. Ray Keyser Jr. served as S ...

, and

J. Ward Carver Jay Ward Carver (February 19, 1881 – July 22, 1942) was a Vermont lawyer who served as state Attorney General. Biography J. Ward Carver was born in Calais, Vermont on February 19, 1881. He was raised in Marshfield, graduated from Montpelier ...

. Their firm was described as Vermont's "best ever collection of legal talent," in that it included one future

justice (Keyser), one past and one future

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

(Wilson and Davis), and one past

Vermont Attorney General The Vermont Attorney General is a statewide elected executive official in the U.S. state of Vermont who is elected every two years. It was created by an act of the Vermont General Assembly in 1790, repealed in 1797, and revived in 1904. The office ...

(Carver). In 1940 Davis left private practice to become

general counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

for the

National Life Insurance Company National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

. From 1942 to 1943 he was president of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. In October 1942 he became president of the

Vermont Bar Association The Vermont Bar Association (VBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of Vermont. History Founded in September 1878 in Montpelier, the Vermont Bar Association remains the only professional organization for lawyers, judges, paralegals a ...

, succeeding Joseph A. McNamara, and he served a one-year term. In 1943 he 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.

Governor of Vermont

From 1957 to 1959, Davis served as chairman of a state commission that reviewed the organization and functions of the state government (a "little

Hoover Commission The Hoover Commission, officially named the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government, was a body appointed by President Harry S. Truman in 1947 to recommend administrative changes in the Federal Government of the Unite ...

") and proposed modernization and reforms in a report to the

Vermont General Assembly The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly," but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

. In 1968, Davis decided to continue that work by running for

. His candidacy was out of the ordinary because he ran at a relatively advanced age, and because he had not served the usual "apprenticeship" of previous successful Republican nominees for governor. Prior to Davis, the Republican Party, which had controlled statewide offices for more than 100 years, had almost always prepared candidates for governor by electing them to leadership positions in the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

, or lesser state offices such as

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

. Davis defeated Attorney General

James L. Oakes James Lowell Oakes (February 21, 1924 – October 13, 2007) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for t ...

in the Republican primary. In the general election, Davis prevailed over Lieutenant Governor John J. Daley. Davis ran for reelection in 1970 and defeated Lieutenant Governor Thomas L. Hayes in the Republican primary. In the general election, Davis prevailed over Democrat Leo O'Brien Jr., who was a member of the

. Davis served as governor from 1969 to 1973. His governorship was particularly noteworthy for the creation of a state sales tax to help balance the state budget. Davis also oversaw the 1970 enactment of

Act 250 Act 250, Vermont's Land Use and Development Act, 10 V.S.A. § 6001 et seq., is a law passed in 1970 by the Vermont legislature designed to mitigate the effects of development through an application process that addresses the environmental and commu ...

, 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. Deane C

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 Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

on December 8, 1990. He was interred in Barre's Elmwood Cemetery.

Family

In 1924, Davis married Corrine Eastman (1901-1951). They were the parents of three children - Deane (1925-1929), Marian (1927-2014), and Thomas (1931-2017). In 1952, Davis married Marjorie Phyllis Smith Conzelman (1904-2003).

Legacy

In 1957, Davis received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

from the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

. The Deane C. Davis Outstanding Business Award annually honors a Vermont enterprise 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. Davis was a noted

horseman Horseman or The Horsemen or ''variation'', may refer to: People *Horseman, a person who practices equestrianism Occupations *Wrangler (profession), in the United States *Stockman (Australia), who works with horses rather than with cattle or shee ...

and proponent of the

Morgan horse The Morgan horse is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the foundation sire Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, Morgans served many roles in 19th-century American histo ...

breed, including service as President of the Morgan Horse Club, Inc. 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 history of promoting the Morgan Horse, but may have made their contribution quietly and steadily over a long period of time. A collection of Davis papers is part of the University of Vermont's special collections. Another, the Deane C. Davis Papers are part of the

Vermont Historical Society The Vermont Historical Society (VHS) was founded in 1838 to preserve and record the cultural history of the US state of Vermont. Headquartered in the old Spaulding School Building in Barre, the Vermont History Center is home to the Vermont His ...

's Barre History Collection.

References

Works

* * *

Sources

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

External links

at The Political Graveyard * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Deane C. 1900 births 1990 deaths People from Barre, Vermont People from Montpelier, Vermont Military personnel from Vermont Boston University School of Law alumni Vermont lawyers State's attorneys in Vermont Vermont state court judges American businesspeople in insurance Republican Party governors of Vermont Writers from Vermont 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American judges