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Frederick Trubee Davison (February 7, 1896 – November 14, 1974) was an American
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 ...
aviator, assistant
United States Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the President of the United States, U.S. president's United States Cabinet, Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's Presidency of George Washington, administration. A similar position, called either "Se ...
, director of personnel for the
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
, and president of the
American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...
.


Biography

He was born on February 7, 1896, to
Henry Pomeroy Davison Henry Pomeroy Davison Sr. (June 12, 1867 – May 6, 1922) was an American banker and philanthropist. Biography Henry Pomeroy Davison was born on June 12, 1867 in Troy, Pennsylvania, the oldest of the four children of Henrietta and George B. Davis ...
. He graduated from
Groton School Groton School (founded as Groton School for Boys) is a private college-preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. Ranked as one of the top five boarding high schools in the United States in Niche (2021–2022), it is affiliated ...
and then attended
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
as part of the class of 1918."Political Notes: Crime Chairman"
''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
''. August 24, 1925.
He was a member of Yale's secret
Skull and Bones Skull and Bones, also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death, is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior class society at the university, Skull and Bone ...
society.


War years

Davison was the founder of the
First Yale Unit The First Yale Unit was started by then Yale sophomore F. Trubee Davison in 1915. The First Yale Unit is considered to be the first naval air reserve unit. Davison and 11 other Yale students were fascinated with the possibilities of aviation in g ...
, which is considered to be the first naval air reserve unit. He founded the unit in 1916 in response to the war that was raging in Europe. Davison and a handful of other students from Yale feared that the United States would soon be dragged into the war effort and would find itself poorly prepared, especially in aviation.Davison, F. T. (1918). The First Yale Naval Aviation Unit. In G. H. Nettleton (Ed.), ''Yale in the World War Part One'' (pg 443-447). New Haven: Yale University Press. pg 443 Davison told his mother that the government was "asleep at the switch". After consulting with John Hays Hammond Jr. and Henry Woodhouse, Davison decided to pull together a group of twelve from amongst Yale's undergraduates to form a unit of flyboys that would possibly operate along the Atlantic Coast. Hammond and Admiral Peary of the American navy had worked out plans to develop a type of coast guard along the eastern shores that would operate from the air. They wanted to set up a series of seaplane stations which would each have a specific piece of territory to patrol. Davison took to this idea immediately and formed the unit. In the First Yale Unit with him were
Robert A. Lovett Robert Abercrombie Lovett (September 14, 1895May 7, 1986) was the fourth United States Secretary of Defense, having been promoted to this position from Deputy Secretary of Defense. He served in the cabinet of President of the United States, Presi ...
,
John Vorys John Martin Vorys (June 16, 1896 – August 25, 1968) was a U.S. Representative from Ohio. Early life Born in Lancaster, Ohio, Vorys attended the public schools in Lancaster and Columbus, Ohio. During the First World War served overseas as a pilo ...
, John Villiers Farwell III, Albert Ditman, Wellesley Laud Brown, Artemus L. Gates,
Erl Clinton Barker Gould Erl or ERL may refer to: People * Elli Erl (born 1979), German musician * Hans Erl (1882–1942?), German operatic bass * Sebastian Erl, German singer * Thomas Erl (born 1967), Canadian author Transport * ERL (automobile manufacturer), a def ...
,
Allan Wallace Ames Allan may refer to: People * Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name * Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker * Allan (footballer, born 1989) (Al ...
, C. D. Wiman,
Albert Dillon Sturtevant Albert Dillon Sturtevant (2 May 1894 – 15 February 1918) was an officer in the United States Navy during World War I. Biography Sturtevant was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Charles Lyon 867-1934and Bessie (Dillon) 869-1917Sturteva ...
, and H.P. Davison Jr. Davison and his friends began their aviation training privately with the help of pilot
David Hugh McCulloch David Hugh McCulloch (April 23, 1890 – September 20, 1955) was an early American aviator who worked with Glenn Curtiss from 1912. Curtiss was a contemporary and competitor to the Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville, who had made the first flig ...
in the summer of 1916 while staying at the Davison's house at Peacock Point. in
Locust Valley Locust Valley is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 3,406 at the 2010 census. History The rolling h ...
on
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
. Davison also relied on the financial aid provided by his father, Henry P. Davison, and his friends in the form of flying boats and equipment for the unit."National Affairs: Progress"
''Time''. July 12, 1926.
Over the next year, Trubee Davison would fight tirelessly to have the unit officially recognized by the U.S. Navy making trips to Washington to speak to the Secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels. Turned down again and again, Davison didn't lose hope but instead became more persistent in his efforts to have the unit trained under military conditions and to have all of the members earn their navy wings so that they would be prepared to serve America at a moment's notice. A short while after returning to the Yale campus, Davison learned that Lieutenant John H. Towers, a legendary pilot and the third ever to earn navy wings, was in New York. Davison went to speak with him and Towers was sympathetic to their cause and asked him to write a letter to Daniels telling him about their meeting. When he didn't hear a response, Davison again contacted Towers and then went to Washington to meet with him. It was during this meeting that he gained the approval of the U.S. Navy to have the unit become part of the Naval Reserve and train in Palm Beach. Within five days Davison was off to Palm Beach along with the rest of the First Yale Unit to continue training as naval pilots. On July 28, 1917, Davison was set to take his flying test in order to obtain his navy wings. Having fainted only a short while before the test, Davison was not sure about whether or not he should fly but decided he felt well enough. During the flight, he lost control of his seaplane in a panic attack and spiralled into the sea, the impact of which split the plane in two. Davison was admitted to St. Luke's hospital where he was diagnosed with a broken back and injured spinal cord. He would spend six weeks there. Davison never saw combat but was active in unit activities throughout the war and was awarded the
Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...
for his services.


After the war

After the war, Davison went back to Yale and, while rooming with fellow unit member "Di" (Artemus) Gates, finished his undergraduate program graduating in 1919. In 1920, he married Dorothy Peabody, the daughter of the headmaster at
Groton School Groton School (founded as Groton School for Boys) is a private college-preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. Ranked as one of the top five boarding high schools in the United States in Niche (2021–2022), it is affiliated ...
where he had attended before attending Yale. After his father died Trubee and Dorothy built a house on the Davison estate, Peacock Point, in order to keep his mother company. Davison proceeded to attend
Columbia University Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestig ...
where he earned a Law Degree and then went on to work with White and Case, Manhattan lawyers. Every year, Davison held a reunion for the First Yale Unit in New York City in the summer and sometimes other naval aviators would attend as well original members. He was on the cover of ''Time'' magazine for August 24, 1925. In 1951, he became a trustee of Yale and the first personnel director of the newly formed
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
.


Political life

Davison was elected to the
New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official ...
after the war where he gained a reputation as being one of the hardest-working members. In 1925, he became head of the unofficial "Crime Commission", sponsored by Judge
Elbert H. Gary Elbert Henry Gary (October 8, 1846August 15, 1927) was an American lawyer, county judge and business executive. He was a founder of U.S. Steel in 1901, bringing together partners J. P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, and Charles M. Schwab. The city o ...
. He was a member of the
New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...
(Nassau Co., 2nd D.) in
1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
,
1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...
,
1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hol ...
,
1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...
and
1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of V ...
. He was
Assistant Secretary of War for Air Assistant may refer to: * Assistant (by Speaktoit), a virtual assistant app for smartphones * Assistant (software), a software tool to assist in computer configuration * Google Assistant, a virtual assistant by Google * ''The Assistant'' (TV seri ...
from July 1926 to March 1933. In the
New York state election, 1932 The 1932 New York state election was held on November 8, 1932, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the state comptroller, the attorney general, the chief judge, a U.S. Senator and two U.S. Representatives-at-large, as well as all ...
, he ran for
Lieutenant Governor of New York The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket wit ...
with
William J. Donovan William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan (January 1, 1883 – February 8, 1959) was an American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat, best known for serving as the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the Bur ...
, but they were defeated in a landslide by Democrats
Herbert H. Lehman Herbert Henry Lehman (March 28, 1878 – December 5, 1963) was an American Democratic Party politician from New York. He served from 1933 until 1942 as the 45th governor of New York and represented New York State in the U.S. Senate from 194 ...
and M. William Bray. Davison was an alternate delegate to the
1940 Republican National Convention The 1940 Republican National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from June 24 to June 28, 1940. It nominated Wendell Willkie of New York for president and Senator Charles McNary of Oregon for vice president. The contest for the 19 ...
. He died on November 14, 1974, in
Locust Valley, New York Locust Valley is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the Oyster Bay (town), New York, Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island ...
.


See also

* List of Skull and Bones members


References


External links

* F. Trubee Davison papers (MS 601). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davison, F Trubee 1896 births 1974 deaths Politicians from Nassau County, New York Groton School alumni Members of the Early Birds of Aviation Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly Yale University alumni People associated with the American Museum of Natural History People of the Central Intelligence Agency Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) 20th-century American politicians Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Burials at Locust Valley Cemetery