Davis, J. Bradford

Educator and community leader John Davis was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, in 1921, the son of John Bradford and Edna (Maxfield) Davis; was educated in the Massachusetts public schools; received a B.A. degree from the University of New Hampshire; and received a doctoral degree from Harvard University. His educational career, beginning in 1944, included high school teaching in the Massachusetts public school system; various positions at Harvard and the University of New Hampshire; superintendent of schools in Lincoln, Massachusetts (1959-1963), Worcester, Massachusetts (1963-1966), and Minneapolis (1967-1975); president of Macalester College, St. Paul (1975-1985); and interim president of Mankato State University (1990). Davis returned to the Minneapolis Public Schools in March-July 1993 as interim superintendent following the suspension and subsequent resignation of Robert Ferrara.

Davis was active in many educational professional organizations, including the American Association of School Administrators, the New England Economic Education Council, and the New England School Development Council (executive director, 1950-1958). He also served on a number of committees within the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He was a delegate to the White House Conference on Education (1955) and a member of the President's Task Force on Education (1969).

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