Russell C. Davis (politician)
Russell Carlos Davis (August 13, 1922 – October 16, 1993)[1][2] was an American politician and the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, from 1969 to 1977.[3][4] He was a Democrat.[5]
Russell C. Davis | |
|---|---|
c. 1960 | |
| Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi | |
| In office July 1969 – 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Allen C. Thompson |
| Succeeded by | Dale Danks |
| Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from the Hinds County district | |
| In office January 1960 – July 1969 | |
| Succeeded by | John H. Stennis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 13, 1922 Rockville, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | October 16, 1993 (aged 71) Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Resting place | Jackson, MS |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Catherine Pullen (m. 1944) |
| Children | 3 |
Early life
Russell Carlos Davis was born on August 13, 1922 in Rockville, Maryland, to Roy E. Davis (1890–1937), a landscaper.[4][6][7][8] Davis had one sister, who was named Mara Maude.[8][6] Russell Davis attended and graduated from Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Maryland.[9] He started attending the University of Maryland at the age of 16, but his college career was cut short by World War II.[10] During World War II, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was stationed in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1944. He was a lieutenant by the time he married Catherine Pullen while there, on June 14, 1944.[11][5][12][13] He worked in the insurance agency of his father-in-law, William H. Pullen.[5]
Political career
He was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1959,[5] representing Hinds County. He ran three times: first term unopposed, second opposed, and third unopposed, and served from 1960 until becoming the mayor of Jackson.[5] He became the mayor of Jackson on July 7, 1969, succeeding longtime mayor Allen Thompson.[14][5] The Jackson State killings also occurred during his tenure in 1970.[15] Also during his tenure as mayor, he presented the idea for a planetarium, which started construction in 1976 and is named after him.[16] He was an early advocate of moving from the mayor-commissioner form of government to the mayor-council form.[4] Mayor-council form was initiated after 1985. He stopped being mayor in 1977.[9] In 1981, he tried running for a third term, but lost the nomination bid to Dale Danks.[11] He died of cancer on October 16, 1993.[17][4]
References
- ^ "Russell C Davis in Social Security Death Index". Fold3. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ "Russell C. Davis (1922-1993) - Find A Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
- ^ "Russell C. Davis - Mississippi State University Libraries". www.library.msstate.edu. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Sun, Baltimore. "* Russell C. Davis, a former mayor..." baltimoresun.com. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Caudill, Orley; Davis, Russell (1972). Oral history with the Honorable Russell C. Davis, mayor of the City of Jackson. Mississippi Digital Library.
- ^ a b "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X34G-6HQ : accessed 4 March 2021), Russell C Davis in household of Roy E Davis, Rockville, Montgomery, Maryland, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 9, sheet 3A, line 2, family 29, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 876; FHL microfilm 2,340,611.
- ^ "Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi on February 25, 1968 · Page 32". Newspapers.com. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
- ^ a b "5 Sep 1937, 10 - Evening Star at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi on January 10, 1993 · Page 44". Newspapers.com. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
- ^ "Obituary for Russell C. Davis". The Northside Sun. October 21, 1993. p. 6. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
- ^ a b "17 Oct 1993, Page 19 - Clarion-Ledger at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
- ^ The Eleusis of Chi Omega. Chi Omega Fraternity. 1944. p. 487.
- ^ "Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi on June 18, 1944 · Page 18". Newspapers.com. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
- ^ Holland, Arthur J.; Cities, National League of (1972). Mayors View Manpower Reform: Collection of Articles. National League of Cities and the U. S. Conference of Mayors. p. 8.
- ^ "Welcome to the Civil Rights Digital Library". crdl.usg.edu. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
- ^ "Russell C. Davis PLANETARIUM". mydomain.com/. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
- ^ "Former Jackson Mayor Russell Davis dies of cancer". Clarion-Ledger. October 17, 1993. p. 1. Retrieved November 2, 2020.