Gordon Davis
American lawyer and civic leader / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Gordon Jamison Davis (born August 7, 1941) is an American lawyer and civic leader. He was born in Chicago in 1941 and has been a resident of New York City since his graduation from Harvard Law School in 1967,[1] and has been a leader in New York City's public, civic, and legal affairs.[1] He was Mayor Ed Koch's first New York City Parks Commissioner[1] and is considered New York's most successful parks commissioner since the Robert Moses era.[2] Since 2012, Davis has been a partner in the New York office of the law firm Venable LLP.
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Gordon J. Davis | |
---|---|
Parks Commissioner of New York City | |
In office January 23, 1978 – April 1, 1983 | |
Appointed by | Ed Koch |
Preceded by | Joseph P. Davidson |
Succeeded by | Henry Stern |
Personal details | |
Born | Gordon Jamison Davis (1941-08-07) August 7, 1941 (age 82) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Spouse |
Peggy Cooper Davis (m. 1968) |
Children | 1 |
Education | Hyde Park High School Francis Parker School |
Alma mater | Williams College (BA) Columbia University Harvard University (JD) |
Occupation | Lawyer, Civic Leader |
Davis was one of the first African Americans to become a partner in a major New York corporate law firm (Lord Day & Lord, 1983).[1][3] He is the Founding Chairman of Jazz at Lincoln Center,[1][4][5] one of the four Founding Trustees of the Central Park Conservancy,[1] a Founding Member in the first class inducted into the Performing Arts Hall of Fame at Lincoln Center,[6] a Life Trustee of the New York Public Library,[7] an appointee of President Barack Obama to the board of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,[1][8] and a recipient of an honorary degree (LL.D.) and the Bicentennial Medal from his alma mater, Williams College.[1]