née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Sides; June 29, 1950 – October 6, 2007) was an American politician who served as a member of the
United States House of Representatives
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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, she represented the state's . She was the second woman and first Republican woman elected to Congress from Virginia.
Early life and education
Jo Ann Sides was born in
Rowan County, North Carolina
Rowan County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of North Carolina that was formed in 1753, as part of the British Province of North Carolina. It was originally a vast territory with unlimited western boundaries, but its size w ...
, but lived in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
starting when she was nine years old. She graduated from
Kecoughtan High School
Kecoughtan High School (pronounced "KICK-a-tan") is a public high school located in Hampton, Virginia. The current grades offered are 9–12. Kecoughtan High School is one of four high schools located in the Hampton City Public School District. ...
in
Hampton, Virginia
Hampton () is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 137,148. It is the List ...
Davis worked in real estate before she was elected to the
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...
in 1997. She was re-elected in 1999.
In
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, 1st District Representative Herbert H. Bateman, a 72-year-old incumbent, announced his retirement because of health concerns. He died on September 11, 2000. Davis ran for and won the Republican nomination to succeed him, despite
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Jim Gilmore
James Stuart Gilmore III (born October 6, 1949) is an American politician, diplomat, statesman, and former attorney who was the 68th Governor of Virginia from 1998 to 2002 and Chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2001.
A native Vir ...
's having endorsed her
primary
Primary or primaries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels
* Primary (band), from Australia
* Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea
* Primary Music, Israeli record label
Works
* ...
opponent; she beat out four other opponents in the primary. In November 2000, she received 58% of the vote to win the seat, defeating Democrat Lawrence A. Davies, and Independents Sharon A. Wood and Josh Billings.
She was the second Virginia woman (after
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Leslie Byrne
Leslie Larkin Byrne (born October 27, 1946) is an American businesswoman and politician. In 1992, she became the first woman elected to the United States House of Representatives from the Commonwealth of Virginia. A member of the Democratic Pa ...
who served one term from the neighboring from 1993 to 1995), and the first Virginia Republican woman elected to the House in her own right. The First is one of the most Republican-leaning districts in Virginia (no Democrat has won the district since 1977, and only the neighboring is considered more Republican). Davis was reelected unopposed in
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
. She defeated Independent challenger William A. Lee in 2004. She won a fourth term in
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
against token Democratic opposition, defeating Democrat Shawn M. O'Donnell and Independent Marvin F. Pixton III. Unlike Bateman, who was relatively moderate by Southern Republican standards, Davis was strongly conservative, especially on social issues.
During her tenure, Davis secured $169 million (after authorizing $229 million) for construction on the
Navy
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
's next-generation aircraft carrier, CVN-21, and $47 million for the removal of a portion of the
James River
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...
Reserve Fleet, otherwise known as the Ghost Fleet. In 2002 she voted in favor of the
Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance
Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) is a life insurance program available to all active duty and reserve members of the uniformed services of the United States. Supervised by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the program i ...
paid to beneficiaries of members of the
Armed Forces
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
who died in the performance of their duty between November 1, 2000, and April 1, 2001. She advocated tax cuts, and believed that the federal government must rein in growth and spending. She was the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Subcommittee on Intelligence Policy.
Davis was endorsed by several groups, including the Virginia Sheriff's Association; the Peninsula Housing and Builders Association; the Virginia Society for Human Life; the
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...
, and th Madison Project She received a 93% rating from the National Federation of Independent Businesses for the 109th Congress, a grade of 95% from the Family Foundation of Virginia, and an "A" rating from the NRA Virginia Political Preference Chart. Other ratings included a 0% from the National Education Association, a 23% from the
League of Conservation Voters
The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is an American environmental advocacy group. LCV says that it "advocates for sound environmental laws and policies, holds elected officials accountable for their votes and actions, and elects pro-environmen ...
, a 0% from the Children's Defense Fund, and a 4% from the
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...
.
Personal life
Davis was one of four
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement
s in the
109th Congress
The 109th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, from January 3, 2005 to January 3, 2007, dur ...
. The others were
Todd Tiahrt
William Todd Tiahrt ( ; born June 15, 1951) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1995 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected as part of the historic Republican Wave of 1994, defeating 18-ye ...
of
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, and
Marilyn Musgrave
Marilyn Neoma Musgrave (née Shuler; born January 27, 1949), American politician, is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives who served from 2003 to 2009, representing the 4th District of Colorado.
Musgrave serv ...
of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
.
In 1974 she married Chuck Davis; the couple had two sons and were married for 33 years.
Davis was diagnosed in September 2005 with
breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...
and underwent a partial
mastectomy
Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. A mastectomy is usually carried out to treat breast cancer. In some cases, women believed to be at high risk of breast cancer have the operat ...
on July 5, 2006, at the
George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, preside ...
Medical Center in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
The pathology report indicated that there was no further evidence of cancer, and Davis stated that she would return to work as usual. She attended House sessions until shortly before her death.
Death
Davis died on October 6, 2007, at her home in
Gloucester, Virginia
Gloucester Courthouse is a census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Gloucester County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,951 at the 2010 census.
History
The Gloucester County Courthouse Square Historic District, Glouc ...
. She was reportedly recovering from a second bout with breast cancer, but her condition deteriorated rapidly over the week preceding her death. Davis was survived by her husband, Chuck Davis, two sons, and a granddaughter.Official Press Release Announcing Her Death From joanndavis.house.gov Retrieved October 6, 2007.
Electoral history
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2000, write-ins received 537 votes. In 2006, write-ins received 326 votes.
See also
*
List of United States Congress members who died in office
There are several lists of United States Congress members who died in office. These include:
*List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899)
*List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–1949)
*List of ...
*
Women in the United States House of Representatives
Women have served in the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber, since the 1916 election of Republican Jeannette Rankin from Montana, the first woman in Con ...