Russell C. Davis (mayor)

Russell C. Davis (August 13, 1922 - October 16, 1993)[1][2] was the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, from 1969 to 1977.[3] He was a Democrat.[4]

Russell C. Davis
Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi
In office
July, 1969 – 1977
Preceded byAllen C. Thompson
Succeeded byDale Danks, Jr.
Member of the Mississippi Legislature
from the district
In office
1960 – July, 1969
Personal details
Born(1922-08-13)August 13, 1922
Rockville, Maryland
DiedOctober 16, 1993(1993-10-16) (aged 71)
Jackson, Mississippi
Resting placeJackson, MS
Political partyDemocrat
Spouse(s)Catherine Pullen (m. 1944)
Children3

Biography

Davis was born on August 13, 1922 in Rockville, Maryland.[3] During World War II, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was stationed in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1944. He married Catherine Pullen while there, on June 14, 1944.[5][4] He worked in the insurance agency of his father-in-law, William H. Pullen, until he was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1960,[4] representing Hinds County. He ran three times: first term unopposed, second opposed, and third unopposed.[4] He became the mayor of Jackson in July 1969, succeeding longtime mayor Allen Thompson. The Jackson State killings also occurred during his tenure in 1970.[6] Also during his tenure as mayor, he presented the idea for a planetarium, which started construction in 1976 and is named after him.[7] He was an early advocate of moving from the mayor-commissioner form of government to the mayor-council form.[3] Mayor-council form was initiated after 1985. He stopped being mayor in 1977. In 1981, he tried running for a third term, but lost the nomination bid to Dale Danks.[5] He died of cancer in 1993.[8][3]

References
  1. "Russell C Davis in Social Security Death Index". Fold3. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  2. "Russell C. Davis (1922-1993) - Find A Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  3. Sun, Baltimore. "* Russell C. Davis, a former mayor..." baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  4. Caudill, Orley; Davis, Russell (1972). Oral history with the Honorable Russell C. Davis, mayor of the City of Jackson. Mississippi Digital Library.
  5. "17 Oct 1993, Page 19 - Clarion-Ledger at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  6. "Welcome to the Civil Rights Digital Library". crdl.usg.edu. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  7. "Russell C. Davis PLANETARIUM". mydomain.com/. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  8. "Former Jackson Mayor Russell Davis dies of cancer". Clarion-Ledger. 1993-10-17. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-11-02.


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