Davidson, C. Girard (Crowe Girard), 1910-

Attorney, Democratic politician, businessman, and public official serving as Assistant Secretary of the Interior under President Truman, 1946-1950.

From the description of C. Girard Davidson papers, 1934-1980. (University of Oregon Libraries). WorldCat record id: 19677016

C. (Crowe) Girard Davidson (b. 1910) was the Assistant Secretary of the Interior from 1946 to 1950.

From the description of Davidson, C. Girard (Crowe Girard), 1910- (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). naId: 10571961

Lawyer and government official.

From the description of Papers, 1940-1950. (Harry S Truman Library). WorldCat record id: 70943877

Attorney, politician, and businessman, Crow Girard "Jebby" Davidson was born July 28, 1910 in Lafayette, Louisiana. He received his B.A. from Southwestern Louisiana Institute (1930), LL.B. from Tulane University (1933), and D.J.S. from Yale University Law School (1936). Davidson was a member of the bar in five states: Louisiana, Tennessee, Oregon, District of Columbia, and Alaska. He was married to Mercedes Hester (1939-1952), Joan Kaplan (1953-1967), and Sylvia Nemer (1967-until his death in 1996), and was the father of six children and two step-children.

After the completion of his law degree, Davidson served as attorney for the Tennessee Valley Authority, 1934-1937. Following his resignation, he went into private practice with his brother in Lafayette, Louisiana where he organized all of the REA Electric Cooperatives in that state. His job as consultant to the Bonneville Power Administration, 1940-1946, took him to Portland, Oregon. While there, Davidson shuttled to Washington, D.C. to serve as Assistant General Counsel of the War Production Board, 1944-1945. He remained in government service in the position of Assistant Secretary of the Interior under President Truman, 1946-1950.

Subsequent to his resignation as Assistant Secretary of the Interior, Davidson returned to private law practice in Portland, Oregon as a partner in the law firm of Davidson, Hart and Veasie, and became involved in several major legal cases. The first was a fight against the powerful aluminum companies, in which Davidson represented Leo Harvey of Harvey Machine Company who was seeking a $46 million loan from the government to build an aluminum plant in Montana. He also took on the Idaho Power Company as counsel for the National Hell's Canyon Association in its battle for a high dam rather than a series of low dams. In 1967, Davidson confronted Consolidated Edison of New York when he was hired as consultant by that city to investigate high rates and poor service. Another major case was the Sierra Club legal action against U.S. Plywood-Champion Papers, a company that wanted to construct a pulp plant in southeast Alaska. Davidson represented the latter in the court case which, after numerous delays, was rendered moot.

In the 1950s, Davidson became active in the Democratic Party. He served as National Democratic Elector in 1952, and was twice elected, in 1956 and 1960, as Democratic National Committeeman of Oregon by popular vote in state-wide elections. Between 1960 and 1963 Davidson was Chairman of the Advisory Council on National Resources of the Democratic National Committee as well as a member of the Executive Committee. Concurrently, he served as Chairman of the Western States Democratic Conference.

Davidson's wife, Sylvia Nemer Davidson, was also active in Oregon's civic and political affairs. She was Co-Chairman of the Adlai Stevenson's Oregon Presidential Campaign and played a prominent part in John F. Kennedy's primary campaign in that state. In 1972, the Davidsons ran as a husband/wife team for delegates pledged to Edmund Muskie to the Democratic National Convention. Their campaign was unsuccessful, but they did attend the convention as members of the '72 Sponsors Club. Between 1972 and 1977, Davidson was once again active in civic affairs when he was appointed to the Oregon Educational Coordinating Council, later Commission, by the Governor.

Davidson resigned as Democratic National Committeeman in 1963 so that he could attend to his business interests in Alaska. Davidson was primarily involved in lumber and construction companies. Many of his business endeavors were financed by the Jemkap Company, headed by J.M. Kaplan, Davidson's father-in-law. A partnership between Davidson and Jemkap, Frontiers- Oregon, Ltd., invested in several other firms in which Davidson had a controlling interest.

C. Girard Davidson died on Friday, September 20, 1996, at his home in Portland, Oregon. He was 86. He was survived by his wife and six children.

From the guide to the C. Girard Davidson papers, 1934-1980, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)