Background
A native of Maine, Davis was born on July 11, 1907 in Portland.
A native of Maine, Davis was born on July 11, 1907 in Portland.
He attended the public schools in Portland, graduating from high school in 1924. Davis attended Bates College, graduating in 1928, and Harvard Law School, from which he obtained his law degree in 1932.
Davis was married twice. As a lawyer
Prior to World World War II, Davis spent several years as a government attorney for the Securities and Exchange Commission and the United States Department of the Interior. During the war, he worked as counsel for the United States Coast Guard.
Following World World War II, Davis spent several years as a lawyer in private practice in Washington, District of Columbia He is best remembered as one of the defense attorneys who represented accused Soviet espionage agent Alger Hiss before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1948 and at Hiss"s two 1949-1950 trials for perjury in the Southern District of New New York
During the 1950s, as an assistant Solicitor General in the United States. Department of Justice, Davis argued more than 50 cases before the United States. Supreme Court, including the government"s antitrust case against the DuPont Company.
As Clerk of the Supreme Court
In 1961, Davis was appointed Clerk of the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren, succeeding James R. Browning, who had been appointed to a federal judgeship by President Kennedy. As Clerk, Davis was responsible for maintaining the Court"s docket and files. He also administered the oath of office to several new Justices, including Thurgood Marshall, the Court"s first African American member, and Chief Justice Warren East. Burger.
Davis served as Clerk of the Supreme Court until 1970, when he returned to private practice in Washington, also serving during the 1970s as a Special Master for the Supreme Court in two cases within the Court"s original jurisdiction and co-authoring a law review article on the precedential effect of Supreme Court opinions approved by only a plurality (as opposed to a majority) of the Justices.
As a law professor
Davis also taught during the 1970s as a law professor at Georgetown University and later at the University of Maryland School of Law. He retired from the latter position in 1988.
Davis died in 2000, exactly one week after his 93rd birthday.