Deane C. Davis

Deane Chandler Davis (November 7, 1900 – December 8, 1990) was the 74th Governor of Vermont from 1969 to 1973.

Early life and career
Deane Davis was born in East Barre, Vermont on November 7, 1900, the son of Earle R. Davis (1867-1945) and Lois S. Hillery (1870-1952). Earle Davis was an attorney who served as state's attorney for Washington County and county probate judge.

The younger Davis attended the schools of Barre, and graduated from Spaulding High School in 1918. He studied at Boston University School of Law while participating in the Student Army Training Corps during World War I. He received his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1922 and became a lawyer in Barre.

A Republican, Davis served in local offices including member of the City Council and City Attorney. From 1926 to 1928 he was Washington County State's Attorney. From 1931 to 1936 Davis was a Judge of the Vermont Superior Court. As a leader of the party, Davis also attended numerous state and national conventions as a Delegate, including the 1948 Republican National Convention.

In the 1930s Davis practiced law in partnership with Stanley C. Wilson, F. Ray Keyser, Sr., and J. Ward Carver. Their firm was described as Vermont’s “best ever collection of legal talent,” in that it produced one Vermont Supreme Court Justice (Keyser), two Governors (Wilson and Davis), and one state Attorney General (Carver).

In 1940 Davis left private practice to become General Counsel for National Life Insurance Company. In 1942 he became President of the Vermont Bar Association. In 1943 was appointed a Vice President of National Life. He was named President in 1950, and served as Chief Executive Officer from 1960 to 1966. From 1966 to 1968 Davis was National Life's Chairman of the Board.

Governor of Vermont
From 1969 to 1973 Davis served as Governor. His governorship was out of the ordinary because he assumed office at a relatively advanced age, and because he had not served the usual "apprenticeship" of previous successful Republican nominees for Governor, which typically included leadership positions in the Vermont House of Representatives or Vermont Senate, or lesser state offices such as Lieutenant Governor. His governorship was particularly noteworthy for the creation of a state sales tax. Davis also oversaw the 1970 enactment of Act 250, a law designed to allow for planned real estate sale and development while also safeguarding the environment, community life, and aesthetic character of the state.

Career as author
In his retirement he authored three books, including 1980's Justice in the Mountains, 1982's Nothin' but the Truth, and 1991's Deane C. Davis: An Autobiography.

Death and burial
Davis died in Berlin on December 8, 1990. He was interred in Barre's Elmwood Cemetery.

Deane C. Davis Outstanding Business Award
Named for the former Governor Deane C. Davis, the award annually honors a Vermont business that shows an outstanding history of sustained growth while displaying an acute awareness of what makes Vermont unique. The award is sponsored by Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.

The criteria for the Award include:
 * Growth in sales or employment
 * Commitment of company resources for participation in community projects.
 * Encouragement to employees to be involved in community events.
 * Recognition of the importance of the environment to the state as a natural and economic resource.
 * Addressing employee concerns/needs to create a positive work environment for all employees.
 * Major accomplishment(s) in the past year in any or all of the criteria
 * Nominated businesses must have been based in Vermont for at least 10 years.

Deane C. Davis Memorial Award
Davis was a noted horseman and proponent of the Morgan horse breed, including service as President of the Morgan Horse Club, Inc. The Vermont Morgan Horse Association created the Deane C. Davis Memorial Award in his honor. The Davis Award is presented annually to a person who has a long history of service to the Morgan Horse, but that may have made their contribution quietly and steadily over the years.