On December 27, 1950, Davis became solicitor general of the Rome Circuit and remained in that position until January 1, 1953. Two years later, he was elected judge of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, serving from January 1, 1955, until his resignation on December 31, 1960.
Time in Congress
In 1960, Davis won election to the 87th Congress as a Democrat representing Georgia's 7th congressional district. He won re-election to six additional terms in that body until losing his 1974 re-election bid in that year's Democratic primary to conservative activist Larry McDonald. At the time of his loss, Davis had a drinking problem.[1] Davis served as a U.S. Representative from January 3, 1961 to January 3, 1975.
Davis' loss to McDonald in 1974 was attributed largely to his perceived lack of opposition to the concept of school busing, in which students were bused to schools outside of their district to facilitate desegregation. Davis, who resided in the more rural part of his district, did not take into account the increasing political force of the northwest suburbs of Atlanta. The fast-growing bedroom communities of Cobb County were filling up with residents who were fleeing mandatory desegregation in urban Atlanta; it was mainly these constituents who supported McDonald and his platform opposing interdistrict school busing. [citation needed].
During the course of his political career, Davis supported various progressive initiatives such as those related to alleviating poverty.[2][3] Nevertheless, while standing for re-election in 1966, Davis was noted as being against the federal government broadening Great Society programs,[4] and the previous year had voted against the establishment of the Medicare program. [5]
Later career and death
Davis returned to practicing law and lived in St. Simons Island, Georgia, at the time of his death on October 3, 1992.
