James Curran Davis

James Curran Davis (May 17, 1895 – December 18, 1981) was an American lawyer, World War I veteran, and politician from the state of Georgia who served eight terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1963. Davis unsuccessfully sought the presidential nomination at the 1956 Democratic National Convention.

Early life Davis was born on May 17, 1895, in Franklin, Georgia, to Viola (née Mooty) and Thomas Benjamin Davis. He attended Reinhardt College in Waleska, Georgia and Emory College in Oxford, Georgia. He was admitted to the bar in 1919 and started a practice in Atlanta. Davis was active in the governance of the District; 18 of his 23 enacted bills and nine of his 32 adopted floor amendments addressed the matter.

Davis was a delegate to the 1948 Democratic National Convention.

At the 1956 Democratic National Convention in August, he received 33 votes for President. His nomination speech was given at the convention by Governor Marvin Griffin.

Opposition to Civil Rights Davis was a signatory to the 1956 Southern Manifesto, a document expressing the opposition of Southern congressional representatives to integration. He voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

Later career Davis was defeated in his bid for re-election to Congress in 1962 by Charles L. Weltner. He then resumed practicing law. He was the publisher for the Atlanta Times, a conservative newspaper led by Roscoe Pickett, from June 1964 to its closing in September 1965. He also served on the board of directors for the Salem Campground and De Kalb Federal Savings and Loan Association. She died in 1969. Together, they had one daughter, Mary Martin Davis.

He was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

Death Davis died in Atlanta on December 18, 1981. He is interred at Oak Hill Cemetery in Newnan.