The Augusta Courier

The Character and Nature of Congressman James Davis
Likened Unto a Block of Granite Known as Stone Mountain

Tried and True Statesman
Lauded in Georgia Postmasters
Official Magazine

Congressman James C. Davis lives at Stone Mountain, Georgia, and this huge block of granite is certainly indicative of the character and nature of Davis. Davis stands for fundamental principles and when he takes his stand, he stays there, like Stone Mountain. He is no namby-pamby, wishy-washy, weather vane type of politician. On the contrary, Jim Davis has principles and he stands on those principles. He is as unchangeable as is Stone Mountain.

Davis Is Praised

In a recent issue of the CRACKER POSTMASTER, the official magazine of the Georgia Postmasters, Hillyer King, one of the editors, had this to say of Davis:

Stone Mountain, Georgia, has something to be proud of other than scenery and history, it is the home of the widely known and well loved Congressman James C. Davis. When anyone meets the Congressman, they immediately think of a Gentleman, and that he is. If size is comparable to greatness, he is then a giant among men.

James Curran Davis was born in Franklin, Georgia, and received his education in the Franklin public schools, Reinhardt College at Waleska, Georgia, and Emory College at Oxford. He is a member of the S. A. E. social fraternity. The Congressman then read law in the office of Bryan and Middlebrooks in Atlanta, was admitted to the bar on July 8, 1919, and practiced there until 1934.

Has Served Well

Congressman Davis has served the people of Georgia for many years. He represented DeKalb County in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1924 to 1928, was attorney for the Georgia Department of Industrial Relations from 1928 to 1931, and attorney for DeKalb County from 1931 to 1934. On January 21, 1934, he was named Judge of Superior Courts, Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit, consisting of Clayton, DeKalb, Rockdale, and Newton Counties. He served in this capacity until January of 1947, at which time he entered office as U. S. Representative for the Fifth Congressional District. Because of his many years as judge, people continue to refer to the Congressman as "Judge Davis". For this reason I will refer to him as "Judge" in the remainder of this article.

If you have ever wondered where the Judge obtained his famed "fighting spirit", here are two good reasons. First, he was born with it as a great Georgian. Second, he served as a fighting leatherneck in the U. S. Marine Corps from the time of his enlistment on Christmas Eve of 1917 to January 11, 1919, at which time he was honorably discharged. He then served as first lieutenant and campaign in the Judge Advocate General's Department of the Officers Reserve Corps for approximately 11 years.

Mrs. James C. Davis

Mrs. Mary Lou Davis, the Judge's charming and gracious wife, is always a perfect hostess and never meets a stranger. When introduced, she immediately begins the conversation and makes anyone feel at home. Such personality is rare indeed, and reflects the characteristics of the great lady she is. Mrs. Davis' hobby is gardening, and her flower gardens offer an unusual experience in scenery. Mrs. Davis describes the Judge as being an extremely wonderful husband and father, and offers this illustration of his kind and gentle nature.

One evening at home after Congress had adjourned, the Judge suddenly decided that he would like to do some fishing in his pond, which is something he seldom did. So, he and Mrs. Davis went down to the pond and caught about 8 fish that evening. Upon bringing the fish up to the house to clean and fry, they placed them in a bucket of water. In just a few minutes Mrs. Davis noticed that the fish were swimming around in the bucket and she called the Judge into the kitchen. She exclaimed, "Jim, I can't do anything with those fish, they are still living". The Judge looked down at them for a while with a very sympathetic gaze and said, "they certainly are, aren't they". The Judge took the fish back to the pond and in doing so, he slipped and almost fell into the pond. That was the end of the fishing.

Davis' Charming Daughter

The Davis' pride and joy is their beautiful and charming daughter, Mary Martin Davis, now Mrs. Edward G. Bowen. They have every right to be proud, not only is she beautiful and charming, but also very intelligent. For her graduate work she studied English at Duke University where she received her Masters Degree. She received her A. B. Degree from Randolph Macon College, Lynchburg, Virginia, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and Phi Beta Kappa. Mrs. Bowen is now in Germany with her husband, Captain Edward G. Bowen, who is a medical doctor serving with the U. S. Air Force there. She is occupying her time teaching English at the Air Force Base Junior High School.

Thursday, September 17, was a day of celebration for the Davis' as it marked the 90th birthday of the Judge's very charming mother, Mrs. Viola Davis, who now resides at Pine Lake, Georgia, near Stone Mountain. Her birthday present was a very wonderful one indeed, a person to person phone call across the Atlantic to her granddaughter, Mary Martin, in Germany. I cannot think of a finer or more thoughtful present.

Judge Davis' Father

The Judge's father, who was a fine gentleman as well as a great lawyer, passed away when the Judge was a young lad of six. After his passing, the Judge's mother served as Postmaster in the Franklin, Georgia, Post Office for nine years. The Judge assisted his mother in the post office until he went away to college, and learned the workings of a post office from experience.

In Stone Mountain, Georgia, nestled among many beautiful trees is the Davis homeplace. It is a scenic, modest country home built of Stone Mountain granite. In the summer it is at least 10 degrees cooler after entering the long drive that leads up to the house, and you can immediately begin to smell the sweet shrub and honey-suckle. When dogwood is in bloom, it appears as if snow is mingled among the hardwoods. To the Judge, it is a quiet place where he can rest occasionally from the strenuous business at hand in the Nation's Capitol.

Many Commendations

Many commendations have been presented to the Judge for his achievements since he has been in Congress. In 1957 he was presented with a Certificate of Distinguished Achievement by the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce which reads in part as follows: "IN RECOGNITION OF UNUSUAL DEVOTION TO THE TASK OF SECURING APPROVAL IN THE U. S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON ALL ASPECTS ESSENTIAL TO THE BUILDING OF BUFORD DAM AND THE CREATION OF LAKE LANIER". No appropriation had ever been made for a power dam in this area before the Judge entered Congress. In his first year, his efforts and work on the project resulted in an appropriation of approximately $110,000 for planning of the Buford Dam and appropriations have been made every year since that time. Such devotion to the people of Georgia is certainly appreciated by us all.

At Chicago in 1956, the Judge had the honor of being nominated as candidate for President of the United States by the Georgia delegation to the National Democratic Convention. Such an honor expresses the confidence of the people he serves.

Judge Davis has been a long-time friend of the Postmasters of Georgia and will continue to be so. It would take a large book just to begin to write about the many achievements he has made on the Post Office Committee to better our welfare. In our own humble way, this is a salute to James C. Davis, one who has served us faithfully in Congress as well as upon his committee.