Legh Davis
{{Short description|Australian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2016}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Legh Davis Photo - 3.jpg
| name = Legh Davis
| party = Liberal Party
| office = Member of the South Australian
Legislative Council
| birth_name = Legh Hewitson Davis
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1940|9|19|df=y}}
| birth_place = Adelaide, South Australia
| occupation = Public Servant, Politician
| profession = Investment Consultant, Lecturer
| term_start = {{start date|1979|7|31|df=y}}
| term_end = {{end date|2002|2|09|df=y}}
| alma_mater = Bachelor of Laws (Hons), Bachelor of Economics, University of South Australia
| honorific_prefix = The Honourable
}}
Legh Hewitson Davis (born 19 September 1940) is a former Australian politician and past President of the Liberal Party of South Australia.{{Cite web |date=2004 |title=State Development Fund Financial Report 2004 |url=https://www.nsx.com.au/ftp/news/BSX.SDF.13.627.701.pdf |access-date= |website=National Stock Exchange of Australia}}{{Cite web |last=McLoughlin |first=Chris |date=2021 |title=Liberal senator defends party against 'religious vilification' accusations amid membership audit |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-15/liberal-member-audit-defended-amid-religious-vilification-claims/100215792 |access-date=8 January 2024 |website=ABC}} Davis was elected to the South Australian Legislative Council in 1979 as a member of the Liberal Party serving until his retirement at the State Election in February 2002.{{cite web |title=Hon Legh Davis |url=http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/Members/FormerMembers/Pages/default.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date= |access-date=8 January 2024 |website= |publisher=Parliament of South Australia}} During his parliamentary tenure, Davis held the position of Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council between 1985-89 and acted as the party spokesman across several portfolio areas including, Finance, Arts, Small Business, Housing, Forests, and Ethnic affairs. He has served as the Presiding Member of the Statutory Authorities Review Committee, as Chairman of the State Development Fund, and the Adelaide Festival Centre. In addition to his political career, Davis worked as an investment adviser and later became State Manager of investment firm AC Goode & Co. After retiring from Parliament, Davis served as State Chairman of sharebroker AMRO Morgans and Director of Morgans Adelaide. Davis is a Fellow of the Certified Practising Accountants.{{Cite web |title=14 Mar 2019 - Renewal of Her Majesty's Theatre {{!}} Burnside Historical Socie... - Archived Website |url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20190313214002/https://www.burnsidehistory.org.au/meeting/renewal-of-her-majestys-theatre/ |access-date=2025-02-04 |website=Trove |language=en}}
Education
Davis attended Prince Alfred College, where he completed his secondary school education in 1957.{{Cite web |title=Class of 1957 Sixty-Five Year Reunion |url=https://paoca.pac.edu.au/news-events/class-of-1957-sixty-five-year-reunion/ |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=Prince Alfred Old Collegians' Association |language=en}} He graduated from the University of Adelaide with a Bachelor of Economics in 1961 and later obtained a Bachelor of Law in 1965.{{Cite web |title=08 Apr 2019 - Legh Davis {{!}} Unley {{!}} Morgans - Archived Website |url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20190407213728/https://www.morgans.com.au/Branches/SA/unley/About-Us/our-team/Legh-Davis |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=Trove |language=en}}
Career
After graduating University, Davis became an active member of the Young Liberal Movement of Australia. From 1966 to 1969, he served as State President and under his leadership, Davis was credited with providing “a renewed sense of direction and coordination to the Young Liberal Movement and thus membership substantially increased”.{{Cite web |title=30 Apr 2001 - Young Liberal Movement of South Australia - Archived Website |url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20010429205518/http://www.rebel.net.au/ylmsa/history.htm |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=Trove |language=en}} In 1970 Davis became Federal Chairman of the movement and held the position until 1972.{{Cite web |title=15 Oct 2000 - Liberal Party of South Australia - Archived Website |url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20001015054018/http://www.sa.liberal.org.au/people/legeco/davis.htm |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=Trove |language=en}}
In 1965, Davis joined the Law and Economics faculty at the South Australian Institute of Technology (now the University of South Australia), where he lectured for four years.
In 1968 Davis joined national sharebroker A C Goode & Co, as an investment adviser, and was later appointed State Manager of the firm in 1978, he remained there until 1990.
In 1979, Davis was elected to the South Australian Legislative Council, serving as Deputy Leader of the Opposition from 1985 to 1989. During his tenure in Parliament, Davis was Shadow Minister for the Arts from 1985 to 1989 and again from 1991 to 1992,{{Cite web |title=15 Sep 2004 - New Appointments to Artbank Advisory Board - Archived Website |url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20040915131304/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/36698/20031231-0000/www.dcita.gov.au/Article/0,,0_5-2_4009-4_117237,00.html |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=Trove |language=en}} he held numerous other shadow ministerial portfolios, including Housing and Construction, Finance, The Ageing, Small Business, Forests, Ethnic Affairs, and Corporate Affairs. From 1994 to 1997, Davis was the presiding member of the Statutory Authorities Review Committee,{{Cite web |title=Statutory Authorities Review Committee Details |url=https://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/Search/Result?type=committee&id=213 |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=www.parliament.sa.gov.au}} which evaluated the role, performance, and ongoing relevance of state agencies and independent public bodies.{{Cite web |title=Statutory Authorities Review Committee |url=https://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/Search/Result?type=committee&id=24 |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=www.parliament.sa.gov.au}}
After retiring from Parliament in 2002, Davis became State Chairman of sharebroker ABN AMRO Morgans and Director of Morgans Adelaide, and held the positions until 2010.{{Cite news |date=2007-05-22 |title=Skycity considers Adelaide Casino sale |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-05-22/skycity-considers-adelaide-casino-sale/2555642 |access-date=2025-02-11 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}{{Cite web |title=02 Jul 2020 - Legh Davis: Investment adviser, former Parliamentarian and F... - Archived Website |url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20200702054551/https://australiadaysa.com.au/pages/legh-davis |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=Trove |language=en}} After AMRO Morgans rebranded as Morgans Financial, he continued with the firm as Senior Consultant.{{Cite web |title=13 Mar 2011 - Get your share of the bank share spoils {{!}} Herald Sun - Archived Website |url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20110313031357/http://www.heraldsun.com.au/money/investing/get-your-share-of-the-bank-share-spoils/story-e6frfh66-1225953562505 |access-date=2025-02-11 |website=Trove |language=en}}
In 2003, Davis served as State Treasurer of the Liberal Party{{Cite web |title=23 Feb 2008 - Crikey.com.au - Inside the SA Liberal finance feud - Archived Website |url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20080222233231/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/13027/20040119-0000/www.crikey.com.au_/business/2003/11/12-0002.html |access-date=2025-02-13 |website=Trove |language=en}} and held the position until 2005.{{Cite web |title=16 Jun 2005 - State Executive - Liberal South Australia - Archived Website |url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20050615235718/http://sa.liberal.org.au/content/StateExecutive.asp |access-date=2025-02-13 |website=Trove |language=en}}
In 2005, Davis became Chairman of the State Development Fund which provided equity capital to small and medium sized Australian companies.{{Cite web |title=23 Jun 2005 - State Development Fund {{!}} Home Page - Archived Website |url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20050623065326/http://statedevelopmentfund.com/ |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Trove |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=State Development Fund Chairman's Letter |url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20050708162744/http://statedevelopmentfund.com/Chairman_Resignation_04072005.pdf |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=Trove |language=en}}
In September 2020, Davis was elected State President of the South Australian Liberal Party,{{Cite web |date=2021-08-23 |title=Libs' Right showdown as president faces challenge - InDaily |url=https://www.indaily.com.au/news/politics/2021/08/23/libs-right-showdown-as-president-faces-challenge |access-date=2025-02-14 |website=www.indaily.com.au |language=en}} and held the position until the end of his term in late 2022.{{Cite web |date=2022-06-03 |title=Au revoir, Monsieur le Président {{!}} Labor's 'land tax' moment {{!}} Lib Right takes another branch - InDaily |url=https://www.indaily.com.au/news/notes-on-adelaide/2022/06/03/au-revoir-monsieur-le-president-labors-land-tax-moment-lib-right-takes-another-branch |access-date=2025-02-14 |website=www.indaily.com.au |language=en}}
Community Activities
In 2003, Davis joined the board of Artbank, a national art rental and collecting scheme designed to support Australian contemporary artists through acquisitions and the promotion of their work to the broader public.{{Cite web |title=25 Jan 2004 - artshub.com.au {{!}} For Australian Arts Workers - Archived Website |url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20040124223208/http://www.artshub.com.au/ahau1/news/news.asp?expand=false&expand=true&Id=50964&ref=alist |access-date=2025-02-14 |website=Trove |language=en}}
In 2008, Davis was appointed to the board of the Adelaide Festival Centre Foundation, a charitable organisation which aims to make the arts accessible to all South Australians. In 2014, Davis became Chair of the foundation, serving two three-year terms before stepping down in December 2020.{{Cite web |date=2020-11-23 |title=Changing leadership at Adelaide Festival Centre Foundation - InDaily |url=https://www.indaily.com.au/news/business/2020/11/23/changing-leadership-at-adelaide-festival-centre-foundation |access-date=2025-02-14 |website=www.indaily.com.au |language=en}} During his tenure as Chair, Davis, alongside the Foundation's Philanthropy manager, Robyn Brown, contributed to raising $5.5 million toward the $66 million upgrade and renewal of Her Majesty's Theatre over six years.
Awards
In 2001, Davis was awarded a Centenary Medal "for long service to public life through the parliament and to charity".{{Cite web |title=Australian Government Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet |url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1116933 |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=honours.pmc.gov.au}}