Davis, Jo Ann, 1950-2007

Jo Ann Davis (June 29, 1950 – October 6, 2007) was an American businesswoman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, she served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 until her death in 2007.

Born Jo Ann Sides in Rowan County, North Carolina, her family moved to Hampton, Virginia when she was nine. She graduated from Kecoughtan High School in Hampton, Virginia before attending Hampton Roads Business College. Afterward, she became an executive secretary at a Hampton real estate company. She married Chuck Davis, a battalion chief with the Hampton fire department. Jo Ann Davis earned a real estate license in 1984 and opened a property management company in 1988. She then established her own realty business in 1990. Encouraged to run for office by an employee, she ran a successful campaign that unseated a well-financed incumbent state delegate in 1997. Davis served in the House of Delegates until 2001.

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