Mendel Jackson Davis (October 23, 1942 – May 13, 2007) was an attorney and a

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

Early life and career

Mendel Jackson Davis was born in

North Charleston North Charleston is the third-largest city in the state of South Carolina.City Planning Department (2008-07)City of North Charleston boundary map. City of North Charleston. Retrieved January 21, 2011. On June 12, 1972, the city of North Charlest ...

to Felix Charles Davis and Elizabeth Jackson Davis. He was raised in Garco Village and graduated from North Charleston High School in 1960 where he participated in sports and student government. Three days after graduating from high school, Davis went to work in the office of Congressman

L. Mendel Rivers Lucius Mendel Rivers (September 28, 1905 – December 28, 1970) was a Democratic U.S. Representative from South Carolina, representing the Charleston-based 1st congressional district for nearly 30 years. He was chairman of the House Armed Se ...

, his godfather and namesake. While serving as an assistant to Rivers, Davis obtained a degree in history from the

College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the Unit ...

in 1966 and later graduated from the

University of South Carolina School of Law The University of South Carolina School of Law, also known as South Carolina Law School, is a professional school within the University of South Carolina. The school of law was founded in 1867, and remains the only public and non-profit law schoo ...

Political career

Rivers died in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

during a heart surgery operation in December 1970, almost two months after being elected to a 16th term. Davis ran in the ensuing special election to replace Rivers for the 1st congressional district, which centered around Charleston and spread along the southern portion of the state's Atlantic coastline from Jasper County to Georgetown County. The close ties between Davis and Rivers enabled Davis to defeat future governor James B. Edwards by 5,100 votes in the district's first competitive election in memory. He was held to 54% of the vote in his bid for a full term in 1972, but was reelected three more times without serious difficulty. In Congress, Davis worked to create comprehensive health care for the district and to increase the

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Bec ...

. He was the sponsor of a bill that brought the Yorktown aircraft carrier to Patriot's Point. He was also a member of the House Leadership Committee that brought about the resignation of

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

. Davis's voting record was typical of a

Southern Democrat Southern Democrats, historically sometimes known colloquially as Dixiecrats, are members of the U.S. Democratic Party who reside in the Southern United States. Southern Democrats were generally much more conservative than Northern Democrats with ...

. He tallied a high rating from the

American Conservative Union The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Political Action Conference. Founded on ...

for his first year in office, but it steadily declined thereafter.

Later life and career

In 1980, Davis declined to seek reelection because of a recurring back problem. The Republicans took the seat as part of the Reagan landslide, and held it until Joe Cunningham regained it for the Democrats in 2018. Davis returned to Charleston to practice law, perform consultant work, host a radio talk show, and serve as chairman of the Charleston County Democratic Party. He tried to regain his congressional seat in 1985, but lost to Jimmy Stuckey in the Democratic primary. For his efforts to bring the ''Yorktown'' to Patriot's Point, Davis was honored by having a traffic circle near the aircraft carrier named in his honor. He died on May 13, 2007, after being disabled for several years by

emphysema Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alve ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Mendel Jackson 1942 births 2007 deaths Deaths from emphysema Politicians from Charleston, South Carolina South Carolina lawyers University of South Carolina alumni United States congressional aides People from North Charleston, South Carolina Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina 20th-century American politicians Lawyers from Charleston, South Carolina 20th-century American lawyers

Early life and career

Political career

Later life and career

See also

References