Susan Davis (politician)

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Susan Davis

|image = Representative Susan Davis Official Portrait (cropped).jpg

|office = Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from California

|term_start = January 3, 2001

|term_end = January 3, 2021

|predecessor = Brian Bilbray

|successor = Sara Jacobs

|constituency = 49th district (2001–2003)
53rd district (2003–2021)

|state_assembly1 = California

|district1 = 76th

|term_start1 = December 5, 1994

|term_end1 = November 30, 2000

|predecessor1 = Mike Gotch

|successor1 = Christine Kehoe

|birth_name = Susan Carol Alpert

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1944|4|13}}

|birth_place = Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.

|death_date =

|death_place =

|party = Democratic

|spouse = {{marriage|Steven Davis|1972}}

|education = University of California, Berkeley (BA)
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (MSW)

}}

Susan Carol Davis (née Alpert; born April 13, 1944) is a former American politician who served as the U.S. representative for {{Ushr|CA|49}} for one term and {{ushr|CA|53}} for nine terms from 2001 to 2021. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Her district included central and eastern portions of the city of San Diego, as well as eastern suburbs such as El Cajon, La Mesa, Spring Valley, and Lemon Grove.{{cite web |url=http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/meeting_handouts_082011/map_20110815_ap_cd_53_certified.pdf|title=District 53 |work=California Redistricting Commission certified map|publisher=Healthy City|access-date=January 5, 2013}}

Early life, education and career

Davis was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts.{{Cite web |title=Congresswoman Susan Davis |url=https://www.sandiegowomenshalloffame.com/inductee/Congresswoman-Susan-Davis |access-date=2022-12-08 |website=Women's Hall of Fame |language=en}} She has spent most of her life in California. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley where she was a member of Delta Phi Epsilon sorority.{{cite web |title=Distinguished DPhiEs |url=http://www.dphie.org/why/distinguished_dphies.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818014310/http://www.dphie.org/why/distinguished_dphies.shtml |archive-date=August 18, 2007 |access-date=10 January 2013 |publisher=Delta Phi Epsilon}} She earned a master's degree in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her husband Steve Davis was a doctor in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. After returning to California, she became a social worker in San Diego.{{cite web|url=http://www.house.gov/susandavis/bio.shtml |title=Congresswoman Susan Davis - Biography |access-date=November 8, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008105437/http://www.house.gov/susandavis/bio.shtml |archive-date=October 8, 2009}}

Early political career

Davis became active in politics through her membership in the local branch of the League of Women Voters, of which she became president in 1977. She was elected to the board of San Diego Unified School District in 1983. She served there until 1992, including two years as president of the body.{{cite news|url=http://sdjewishjournal.com/sdjj/tag/congresswoman-susan-davis/|title=Politics, accidentally |date=January 2, 2015|work=San Diego Jewish Journal|access-date=March 26, 2018}}{{cite web |url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=199920000HR68|title=Bill Text - HR-68|work=House Resolution, California Legislature|access-date=March 26, 2018}}

In 1994, she was elected to the California State Assembly, and was reelected in 1996 and 1998. In the Assembly, Davis chaired the Committee on Consumer Protection, Government Efficiency and Economic Development. She authored a state law giving women direct access to their OB/Gyn doctors without requiring a referral from their primary care physicians. Other legislation she authored established the right of a patient to obtain a second medical opinion and allowed frail senior citizens to remain in their homes while receiving state-funded nursing care. She introduced laws to reward high-achieving teachers and to establish after-school programs at public schools.

U.S. House of Representatives

File:Susan Davis marching in the 2014 San Diego LGBT Pride Parade.jpg

In 2000, Davis challenged three-term Republican incumbent Brian Bilbray in what was then the 49th district, winning with 50 percent of the vote. Her district was renumbered the 53rd district after the 2000 census redistricting and made somewhat more Democratic than its predecessor. Following the redistricting, she was reelected eight times without much difficulty. She is the first Democrat to represent what is now the 53rd district for more than one term in over half a century. The only other Democrat to represent this district since the Harry Truman administration, Lynn Schenk, was toppled by Bilbray in the 1994 Republican wave.

Davis introduced a federal version of the California OB/Gyn law she authored at the start of every Congress from 2001 to 2009. Provisions of her OB/Gyn bill were included in the health care reform bill enacted into law.

File:Obama signs DADT repeal.jpg as his signs the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell]]

In 2011, Davis voted for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 as part of a controversial provision that allows the government and the military to indefinitely detain American citizens and others without trial.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ibtimes.com/ndaa-bill-how-did-your-congress-member-vote-384362|title=NDAA Bill: How Did Your Congress Member Vote?|date=December 16, 2011|website=International Business Times|access-date=December 27, 2020}}

Davis was a member of the New Democrat Coalition{{cite web|title=Members|url=https://newdemocratcoalition-himes.house.gov/members|publisher=New Democrat Coalition|access-date=February 2, 2018}} and she portrayed herself as someone who was willing to work across party lines. She served on the House Armed Services Committee. She also served on the Education and Workforce Committee, where she was the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development.

In 2012, Davis filed a lawsuit to recover over $150,000 in campaign funds from her former campaign treasurer, Kinde Durkee.{{cite book |title=2014 Almanac of American Politics |last2=Barone |first2=Chuck |last1=McCutcheon|first1=Michael |publisher=The University of Chicago Press |year= 2013}} Durkee was later sentenced to eight years in prison for fraud after pleading guilty to stealing seven million dollars from more than fifty people.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2012-nov-28-la-me-kinde-durkee-20121129-story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910191649/http://articles.latimes.com/2012/nov/28/local/la-me-kinde-durkee-20121129|url-status=dead|title=Campaign treasurer gets 8 years for fraud|date=November 28, 2012|archive-date=September 10, 2015|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=December 27, 2020}}

On September 4, 2019, Davis announced that she would not seek re-election in 2020.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/04/politics/representative-susan-davis-not-seeking-reelection/index.html|title=Rep. Susan Davis is latest Democrat not seeking reelection|last1=Duster|first1=Chandelis|last2=Byrd|first2=Haley|date=September 4, 2019|work=CNN|access-date=5 September 2019}}

File:susan davis.jpg

=Committee assignments=

=Caucus memberships=

Congressional Arts Caucus{{cite web|title=Membership|url=https://artscaucus-slaughter.house.gov/membership|publisher=Congressional Arts Caucus|access-date=March 13, 2018}}
Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus
Congressional Mental Health Caucus
House Mentoring Caucus (Co-Chair)
United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus{{cite web|title=Our Members |url=https://royce.house.gov/internationalconservation/members.html|publisher=U.S. House of Representatives International Conservation Caucus|access-date=August 1, 2018}}
Pro-Choice Caucus
Congressional COPD Caucus
Congressional EOD Caucus (Co-Chair)
Veterinary Medicine Caucus{{cite web|title=Members of the Veterinary Medicine Caucus |url=https://schrader.house.gov/committees/veterinary-medicine-caucus.htm| publisher=Veterinary Medicine Caucus |access-date=October 12, 2018}}
Congressional Navy-Marine Corps Caucus (Co-Founder)
Afterschool Caucuses{{cite web|title=Members |url=http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/policyCongressionalCaucuses.cfm |publisher=Afterschool Alliance|access-date=March 23, 2018}}
File:Susan A. Davis Post Office plaque.jpg Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus{{cite web|title=Members|url=https://capac-chu.house.gov/members |publisher=Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus|access-date=May 17, 2018}}
U.S.-Japan Caucus{{cite web|title=Members|url=https://usjapancaucus-castro.house.gov/members|publisher=U.S. - Japan Caucus |access-date=December 1, 2018}}

= Legacy =

Davis was inducted into the San Diego Women's Hall of Fame in 2020. On November 29, 2022, the House passed a bill to name a post office in Rolando, San Diego after Davis.{{Cite web |date=November 29, 2022 |title=November 29, 2022 - Issue: Vol. 168, No. 183 — Daily Edition |url=https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-168/issue-183/house-section/article/H8637-1 |website=Congress.gov}} President Joe Biden signed the bill into law on December 27, 2022.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-27 |title=Biden OKs renaming of Rolando post office after former Rep. Susan Davis |url=https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/san-diego-news/biden-oks-renaming-of-rolando-post-office-after-former-rep-susan-davis |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228000452/https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/san-diego-news/biden-oks-renaming-of-rolando-post-office-after-former-rep-susan-davis |archive-date=2022-12-28 |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=ABC 10 News San Diego KGTV |publisher=Scripps Media Inc. |language=en}} On July 7, 2023, a ceremony was held to rename the former Andrew Jackson Post Office in Rolando after Davis.{{Cite web |last=Sullivan Brennan |first=Deborah |date=2023-07-07 |title=Rolando post office renamed for longtime San Diego lawmaker Susan Davis |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/story/2023-07-06/rolando-post-office-susan-davis |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708063625/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/story/2023-07-06/rolando-post-office-susan-davis |archive-date=2023-07-08 |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US}}

References

External links

[http://www.susandavisforcongress.com/ Susan Davis for Congress]
{{CongLinks |congbio=D000598 |votesmart=8168 |fec=H0CA49055 |congress=susan-davis/D000598 }}
[http://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/6008 Join California Susan Davis]
{{C-SPAN|85595}}

{{s-ttl|title=Member of the California Assembly
from the 76th district|years=1994–2000}}

{{s-ttl|title=Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 49th congressional district|years=2001–2003}}

{{s-ttl|title=Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 53rd congressional district|years=2003– 2021}}

{{s-aft|after=Sara Jacobs}} -->

{{s-ttl|title=Order of precedence of the United States
{{small|as Former US Representative}}|years=}}

{{USCongRep-start|congresses= 107th–116th United States Congress |state=California}}