Gray Davis

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Gray Davis (2010) Gray Davis' signature

Joseph Graham Davis Jr. , better known as Gray Davis , (born December 26, 1942 in New York City ) is an American politician of the Democratic Party . He was the 37th Governor of California from 1999 to 2003  .

Life

education

Davis graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor of arts degree with honors from a Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship sponsored history degree from Stanford University in 1964 and completed a law degree from Columbia Law School in 1967 with a doctorate degree ( Juris Doctor ). He then worked as a salaried attorney for Beekman & Bogue in New York. In 1968 and 1969 he served (most recently in the rank of captain ) for the US Army in the Vietnam War , which was honored with the Bronze Star .

First political successes

In 1970 he supported John V. Tunney in the election campaign for a Senate post , in 1973 he supported the successful election of Tom Bradley as the first black mayor of Los Angeles . This success prompted him to seek political office himself: He ran for State Treasurer of California in 1974 , but was defeated by the popular Jesse M. Unruh . He then took over the post of Chief of Staff for Governor Jerry Brown from 1975 to 1981 . From 1983 to 1987 he was a member of the California State Assembly for a constituency around Beverly Hills and western Los Angeles .

From 1987 to 1995 he was elected California State Controller and - comparable to a Treasury Secretary - was responsible for the budget of the State of California. During his tenure, some incidents were uncovered in which taxpayers' money was not used as intended. He forced the adoption of a supplementary budget by parliament and governor for the first time by withholding the payment of wages for all elected state employees up to and including the governor.

In 1992 he lost his party's internal electoral election to the United States Senate against Dianne Feinstein , the mayor of San Francisco .

Lieutenant Governor of California

Gray Davis during his tenure as governor

From 1995 to 1999 he was elected to the office of lieutenant governor of California and in this office he tried particularly to stimulate the economy and to locate additional companies in his state. He also cut tuition fees, making it possible for the children of less-income families to continue their education. The second most senior official in the state, he was also President of the California Senate , Chairman of a Commission on Economic Development and the California State Lands Commission, Presidential Regent of the University of California, and Trustee of California State University .

Governor of California

Davis was elected governor on November 3, 1998 to succeed Pete Wilson . He took office on January 4, 1999. Four years later, on November 5, 2002, he was re-elected.

During his tenure as governor, one focus of his work was the further development of the education system. For example, during his first term in office, spending in this sector was $ 8 billion above the level required by California Proposition 98 of 1988. The average school grades, determined using uniform examination methods, improved in five consecutive years.

He signed the first law in the United States to require automakers to reduce the emissions from their models. Relations with Mexico improved noticeably during his tenure and he made efforts to limit the proliferation of weapons. Over time, however, he lost more and more electoral support. The key points here are the energy crisis in California, which resulted in large-scale power outages throughout the state in spring 2001, for example, and the collapsing state revenue as a result of the burst dot-com bubble . His success in fundraising campaigns also met with mixed approval.

On October 7, 2003, a petition for a (so-called. Found Recall ) instead, he consequently became only the second governor in US history (after the governor of North Dakota Lynn Frazier in 1921) was voted out of office. At the same time, Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected the new governor and took office on November 17, 2003. During his tenure, Davis signed 5132 of the 6244 laws submitted to him and rejected 1100.

Further activity

After being voted out Davis guest lectures held at the Institute of Political Sciences ( School of Public Policy ) of UCLA . He also works as a lawyer for Loeb & Loeb and is a member of the board of directors of DiC Entertainment .

Private

Davis has been married to Sharon Ryer since 1983.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d On November 5, 2002 on the occasion of the election of himself published biography League of Women Voters, Smart Voters. Copyright © League of Women Voters of California Education Fund, accessed July 21, 2008
  2. ↑ Davis: A shining resume, a resounding defeat on CNN.com, October 8, 2004. Accessed July 25, 2015.
  3. ^ The New Governors . The Washington Post . November 5, 1998; Page A41. accessed on July 25, 2015
  4. ↑ Note on his website , accessed on July 25, 2015 (English).
  5. ↑ Press releases from Vincente Fox, former President of Mexico , at fox.presidencia.gob.mx, accessed July 21, 2008 (English)
  6. ↑ Davis Loyalists Give Cruz Cold Shoulder by Marc Ballon on JewishJournal.com, Copyright 2006-2007. accessed July 21, 2008
  7. ↑ STATE OF TRANSITION: End of the Davis era, Tempered spirited led state by Robert Salladay, The San Francisco Chronicle . November 12, 2003. accessed on July 21, 2008

Web links

Commons : Gray Davis  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Davis, Gray
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Davis, Joseph Graham Jr. (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician, governor of California
DATE OF BIRTH December 26, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City