Leon Stafford Davis (August 29, 1895 – May 3, 1968) was a politician and real estate agent in the U.S. state of Oregon. A Republican, he served in the

Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

representing Hillsboro.

Early life

Davis grew up on a farm near the city of

Beaverton, Oregon Beaverton is a city in Washington County, in the U.S. state of Oregon with a small portion bordering Portland in the Tualatin Valley. The city is among the main cities that make up the Portland metropolitan area. Its population was 97,494 at the ...

, and went to school in that community. During World War I he served in combat, before returning to Washington County, where he worked for the '' Hillsboro Argus''.

Political career

During the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, he served as an administrator with Oregon's State Emergency Relief Agency (SERA). Davis served as manager of the Washington County Fair in 1950, and was then elected as the president of the Oregon Fairs Association in 1952. He was then elected to the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...

in 1952, taking office on January 12, 1953, replacing J. O. Johnson in District 4. He won reelections, and served in the House through the 1961 session. District 4 then went to future governor Victor Atiyeh. After leaving the legislature, Davis ran for Washington County Commissioner in 1964, losing in the November election to Joe Van Dyke. At the time, he owned a real estate firm, and had been elected as president of the Oregon Association of Realtors. Davis died in 1968, with the Oregon Legislature paying tribute the next session in 1969.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Leon Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Politicians from Hillsboro, Oregon 1895 births 1968 deaths American real estate brokers American military personnel of World War I Businesspeople from Oregon 20th-century American legislators 20th-century American businesspeople