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GRAY
DAVIS
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Born: December 26, 1942, in New York City Marriage: Sharon Ryer (1983) |
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Born Joseph Graham Davis, Jr., young
Davis received the
nickname of Gray from his mother. That remained his name of choice as
he entered a political career. |
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Early Life |
Gray Davis was born in the Bronx section of
New York
City, the oldest
of six children. When Gray was eleven years old the family moved to
California, where Gray
went to both public and private schools. He was known as a serious student
and also as a good athlete. He particularly liked golf, winning two
Junior Cup championships while in high school. At Stanford, where he
graduated with honors in 1964, he was on the varsity golf team. He received
a law degree from Columbia University in 1967. Service
in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam conflict brought
Davis the rank of
captain and a Bronze Star for distinguished action. |
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Career |
Davis worked as
a clerk in a law firm in New York City before becoming
Chief of Staff to California Governor Edmund G. Brown (1975-81). As
chair of the California Council on Criminal Justice, Davis began the
statewide neighborhood watch program. He served in the State legislature
as the representative from Los Angeles County from 1983-87,
and as State controller from 1987-95. His reputation for finding ways
to save money and exposing misuse of public funds led to his election
as lieutenant governor (1995-99). |
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As |
As governor, Davis declared that improving public education in the state was his first priority. His READ (Raising Expectations, Achievement and Development) plan, as approved by the legislature in the first months of his administration, included new reading programs, a high school exit exam, teacher performance reviews, and increased school accountability for student performance. Davis faced a state-wide crisis in the availability
of energy late in his first term. He also saw a large budget surplus become
a record budget deficit. These factors, along with a perceived lack of
responsiveness to the people, led to him becoming the first governor in
California history to be recalled in a special election. |
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Later Years |
Since
leaving office, Davis has been a guest lecturer at UCLA's School of Public
Policy, worked as an attorney at Loeb & Loeb, and served on the Board
of Directors of DiC Entertainment. |
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