John E. Davis (North Dakota politician)
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John E. Davis (born John Edward Davis; April 18, 1913 – May 12, 1990) was an American politician who served as Director of the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency from 1969 to 1976. He also previously served as the National Commander of
The American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is made up of state, U.S. territory, and overseas departments, and these are in turn made up of l ...
, from 1966 to 1967, and as the 25th Governor of North Dakota from 1957 to 1961.


Early life

Davis was born in Goodrich, North Dakota. After attending several years of high school in Fargo, he graduated from Bismarck High School in 1931. Later that fall, he enrolled at the
University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...
in Grand Forks. While at the University, he pledged for
Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 it consists of 144 active chapters in the Unite ...
, and was active in the
Reserve Officers' 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 ...
(ROTC). He was the ranking officer in
Scabbard and Blade Scabbard and Blade (S&B) is a college military honor society founded at the University of Wisconsin in 1904. Although membership is open to Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets and midshipmen of all military services, the society is mod ...
, an organization of select senior ROTC cadet officers. Davis graduated with a
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
in
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in 1935. He returned to Goodrich and took over management of his family's ranch and farm. Davis was married to Pauline Huntley in 1938, and they had three children; John Jr., Richard, and Kathleen. The couple divorced after forty years of marriage in 1978, after which he married Marilyn R. Westlie in 1980.


World War II

In May 1941, Davis was ordered to active duty and reported first to
Fort Snelling Fort Snelling is a former military fortification and National Historic Landmark in the U.S. state of Minnesota on the bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The military site was initially named Fort Saint Anth ...
, Minnesota, before being sent to Camp Joseph T. Robinson,
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, where he became commander of Company C, 1st Battalion, 134th Infantry, 35th Infantry Division. He saw extensive combat duty in the
European Theater The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...
as commander of Company C, and later as the commander of the 1st Battalion, 134th Infantry Regiment, and received the
Silver Star Medal The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an en ...
, the
Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...
, and the
Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...
. He was discharged from the
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on July 31, 1945, at
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, Wisconsin.


Political career

In 1946, Davis was elected mayor of McClusky, North Dakota, serving until 1952. That year, he successfully ran for a position in the
North Dakota State Senate The North Dakota Senate is the upper house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly, smaller than the North Dakota House of Representatives. Per the state constitution, North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts appor ...
. He served in the Senate until 1956, when he was nominated for Governor on the Republican ticket. He defeated the Democratic candidate, Wally Warner, in the fall election. He was re-elected in 1958, defeating the Democratic candidate, John F. Lord, and served until 1960. He was a candidate for the United States Senate in 1960, but was narrowly defeated by
Quentin N. Burdick Quentin Northrup Burdick (June 19, 1908 – September 8, 1992) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, he represented North Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives (1959–1960) and the U.S ...
. He was again a candidate in 1964, but lost the Republican primary to Tom Kleppe. In 1966, Davis was honored with the Sioux Award, the University of North Dakota Alumni Association's highest honor. Davis was elected
The American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is made up of state, U.S. territory, and overseas departments, and these are in turn made up of l ...
National Commander from 1966 to 1967, and was appointed Director of the Office of Civil Defense by President
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 ...
in 1969. The agency was renamed in 1972 as the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency. Following his retirement in 1976, he was awarded the Department of Defense Service Medal.


Later life

In 1977, Davis returned to North Dakota to operate the family
ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...
and resume presidency of the First National Bank of McClusky. In 1978, he received the Greater North Dakota Award from the Greater North Dakota Association. Davis was active in many non-profit organizations, including the Elks, Masons, and the Scottish Rite and the Shrine. He died on May 12, 1990, in
Rancho Mirage, California Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal (part-time) population can exceed 20,000. Incorporated in 1973 and located ...
. He is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Bismarck, North Dakota.


See also

*
North Dakota's United States Senate special election, 1960 The 1960 Special U.S. Senate election in North Dakota was held June 28, 1960, to fill the United States Senate seat vacated by the late William Langer. Langer died in office on November 8, 1959, and Clarence Norman Brunsdale, a former Governor of ...


References


Further reading

*"'It Was Easy to Get Involved': An Interview with Governor John E. Davis." Edited by Gerald G. Newborg. Gerald G. Newborg. ''North Dakota History''.v70, n1 (2003): 2–25.


External links

*
John E. Davis
at the
National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the politica ...

John E. Davis Papers
at the
University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, John E. 1913 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American politicians American Lutherans Burials in North Dakota Republican Party governors of North Dakota National Commanders of the American Legion Republican Party North Dakota state senators Mayors of places in North Dakota Recipients of the Silver Star University of North Dakota alumni People from Sheridan County, North Dakota 20th-century Lutherans United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army colonels