Donald Robert Davis (June 23, 1931 – April 10, 2008) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician. He served in many roles, from decorated war veteran to petroleum executive, board chairman, association president, Jacksonville City Council president and Florida state legislator.

Early life and military service

Don Davis was born in

Okemah, Oklahoma Okemah ( or ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the birthplace of folk music legend Woody Guthrie. Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, a federally recognized Muscogee Indian tribe, is headquartered ...

to Lucien and Lucille Davis. He grew up in

Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort city located in San Diego County, California, United States, across the San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population was 24,697 at the ...

and graduated from Coronado High School in 1949. He attended the

University of Redlands The University of Redlands is a private university headquartered in Redlands, California. The university's main, residential campus is situated on 160 acres (65 ha) near downtown Redlands. An additional eight regional locations throughout Califo ...

in California before serving in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

for three years, leaving the service as a sergeant first class. He was a decorated

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

veteran, earning the

Combat Infantryman Badge The Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) is a United States Army military decoration. The badge is awarded to infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers in the rank of colonel and below, who fought in active ground combat while assigned as members of ei ...

, the

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four sp ...

and the

Korean Service Medal The Korean Service Medal (KSM) is a military award for service in the United States Armed Forces and was established November 8, 1950 by executive order of President Harry Truman. The Korean Service Medal is the primary US military award for se ...

with 3

service star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

s. After returning to the states, Mr. Davis married Alice Claudia Berry of Miami on December 18, 1954. He resumed his education and received a degree from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

(UCLA) in 1959.

From West Coast to East Coast

The family moved to

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

in 1960 with the Occidental Life Insurance Company (now

Transamerica Corporation The Transamerica Corporation is an American holding company for various life insurance companies and investment firms operating primarily in the United States, offering life and supplemental health insurance, investments, and retirement services. ...

), where they raised their two sons, Robert (Don, Jr.) and Dean. During several years in the insurance industry as a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Davis established a reputation of integrity and was asked to serve on the ''Local Government Study Commission'' (LGSC) which the Florida legislature created in 1965. Their mission was to design a consolidated city/county government; their goal was to reform Jacksonville's corrupt, inefficient government. During this period, Davis changed careers, and was named General Manager of

Deerwood Country Club Deerwood was the first gated community in Florida, US. After it was established in the mid-1960s, it was the most exclusive residential area on Jacksonville's Southside.Patton, Charlie"Picture this: Deerwood, deserted"Florida Times-Union, February ...

, a position he held for over 20 years. In 1978, he was named vice president of Stockton, Whatley, Davin & Co. (SWD), responsible for all Deerwood Club operations, including the sale of residences and home sites.

Gate

When

Gate Petroleum A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning road or path; But other terms include ''yett and port''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wall ...

bought the Florida real estate holdings of SWD in 1985,

Herb Peyton Herbert Hill Peyton (born January 6, 1932) is an American entrepreneur and founder of Gate Petroleum in Jacksonville, Florida, which had sales of $1.44 billion in 2008. He is the father of John Peyton, current President of Gate and former two-term ...

offered Don Davis the position of Vice President of Corporate Relations, which he accepted. He was a Gate brother for over twenty years.

Politics

Don Davis was elected to the

Jacksonville City Council The Jacksonville City Council is the legislative governing body of the city of Jacksonville, Florida. The council meets in its chambers at Jacksonville City Hall, 117 W. Duval St. Under Florida’s government transparency laws, all official co ...

in 1987 and re-elected twice, serving 12 years, including two terms as president. Davis then ran for the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

from District 18 in 1999 and served until his death in 2008.

Community activities

Mr. Davis was an active member in many community organizations for 45 years and served on a number of boards. Among his many interests were the following: *

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more than ...

, past Board of Directors *

Florida Theatre The Florida Theatre is a historic American movie theater located in Jacksonville, Florida. Opened in April 1927, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on November 4, 1982. On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter plac ...

, Board of Directors * Jacksonville 1st Tee, Board of Directors * Honorable Company of Red Coats, Chairman-1999-2000 * Prisoners of Christ, Board of Directors *

The Players Championship The Players Championship (commonly known as simply The Players, stylized by the PGA Tour as The PLAYERS Championship) is an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour. Originally known as the Tournament Players Championship, it began in 1974. The P ...

, Chairman 1988 * Gator Bowl Association, President 1987 *

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and death ...

* Mandarin

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

, President-1985 *

Jacksonville University Jacksonville University (JU) is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida. Located in the city's Arlington (Jacksonville), Arlington district, the school was founded in 1934 as a two-year college and was known as Jacksonville Junior College u ...

Council * Jacksonville

Jaycees The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training, service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI) ...

, past President * Jacksonville

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

Florida Chamber of Commerce The Florida Chamber of Commerce is an organization devoted to the advocacy of private businesses in the state of Florida. This Chamber originated in 1912, and included its first continuing group in 1916, the ''Florida Tick Eradication Committee''.h ...

* Deerwood Country Club * Big Brothers of Jacksonville, Board of Directors * Boy's Clubs of Jacksonville, Board of Directors * Northeast Florida Tennis Foundation *

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016. United Way organizations raise funds ...

of Northeast Florida, Board of Directors * Mazda Senior TPC golf tournament, Chairman-1988 * Muscular Dystrophy Association, Board of Directors

Death

In 2007, Representative Don Davis was diagnosed with

brain cancer A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondar ...

. He died at his home in Jacksonville, Florida on April 10, 2008, at age 76 . In his honor, Florida Governor

Charlie Crist Charles Joseph Crist Jr. (; born July 24, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011 and as the U.S. representative for from 2017 to 2022. Crist has been a member of the Democratic ...

ordered that flags at state facilities be flown at half-staff.

The governor issued a statement: "It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of Representative Don Davis, a great public servant. He served the people of Jacksonville as well as the people of our state with honor and dignity. He will be remembered for his efforts to raise the quality of life for our people by growing and attracting businesses to Florida.

His legislative seat remained unfilled until

Ronald Renuart Ronald "Doc" Renuart (born January 5, 1964) is a Republican politician who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 18th District from 2008 to 2012, and the 17th District from 2012 to 2015. History Renuart was ...

was elected at the next regular election in November 2008.

References

External links

Florida House of Representatives website: Rep. Don Davis

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20081120121437/http://www.phoenix-design.com/gallery/dondavis/experience.html Vote Don Davis website
First Coast News: Apr 10, 2008-State Representative Don Davis Dies

Obituary, Donald Robert Davis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Don 1931 births 2008 deaths People from Okemah, Oklahoma Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives United States Army personnel of the Korean War Jacksonville, Florida City Council members Deaths from brain cancer in the United States University of Redlands alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni 20th-century American politicians Baptists from Oklahoma United States Army soldiers 20th-century Baptists