Davis, Jo Ann, 1950-2007

<p>From humble origins, Jo Ann Davis emerged as a successful businesswoman, state delegate, and U.S. Representative. Just four years after winning her first political office in the Virginia general assembly, Davis won election in an eastern Virginia district along the Chesapeake Bay as the first Republican woman to represent her state in Congress. With seats on the Armed Services, International Relations, and Intelligence Committees—where she served as chair of the Intelligence Subcommittee on Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counter-Intelligence—Davis positioned herself as a strong advocate for the defense-related interests which dominated her district.</p>

<p>Jo Ann Davis was born in Rowan, North Carolina, on June 29, 1950. When she was nine years old, her family moved to Hampton, Virginia. Her upbringing—she recalls spending much of her childhood living in a trailer park—was modest. In 1968 she graduated from Kecoughtan High School in Hampton and later attended the 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, and they raised two children: Charlie and Chris. 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.</p>

<p>In 1997 one of her employees pulled her aside and said, “Jo Ann, come here. Have you ever thought about running for public office?” Davis replied that it was a “crazy” idea. She soon changed her mind, however, and ran a successful campaign that unseated a well-financed incumbent state delegate in 1997. She was re-elected to the state house with more than 70 percent of the vote. Davis served in the Virginia house of delegates until 2001.</p>

<p>Jo Ann Davis (née Sides; June 29, 1950 – October 6, 2007) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007. A member of the Republican Party from Virginia, she represented the state's 1st congressional district. She was the second woman and first Republican woman elected to Congress from Virginia.</p>

<p>Davis was born in Rowan County, North Carolina, but lived in Virginia starting when she was nine years old. She graduated from Kecoughtan High School in Hampton, Virginia. Davis attended Hampton Roads Business College.</p>

<p>Davis worked in real estate before she was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1997. She was re-elected in 1999.</p>