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{{short description|American businessman and diplomat}}
{{short description|American businessman and diplomat}}
'''William True Davis''', known as True, was president and chairman of the [[The Bank of Washington|National Bank of Washington]] and Ambassador to Switzerland. Under President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], Davis was assistant secretary of the treasury and then executive director of the [[Inter-American Development Bank]]. He died on February 26, 2003 of congestive heart failure in [[St. Joseph, Missouri]].<ref name="Barnes">{{cite news |last1=Barnes |first1=Bart |title=William True Davis Dies |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2003/03/05/william-true-davis-dies/bc354c3c-6020-47e8-b586-56fd331d47dd/ |accessdate=November 29, 2019 |publisher=The Washington Post}}</ref>
'''William True Davis''' (December 23, 1919 – February 26, 2003) was president and chairman of the [[The Bank of Washington|National Bank of Washington]] and Ambassador to Switzerland. Under President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], Davis was assistant secretary of the treasury and then executive director of the [[Inter-American Development Bank]]. He died on February 26, 2003, of congestive heart failure in [[St. Joseph, Missouri]].<ref name="Barnes">{{cite news |last1=Barnes |first1=Bart |title=William True Davis Dies |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2003/03/05/william-true-davis-dies/bc354c3c-6020-47e8-b586-56fd331d47dd/ |date=March 5, 2003|accessdate=November 29, 2019 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Davis was born December 23, 1919 in St. Joseph<ref name="Find">{{cite web |title=William True Davis, Jr (1919-2003) |url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/103868328/william-true-davis |website=Find A Grave |accessdate=29 November 2019}}</ref> and graduated from [[Cornell University]].<ref name="Barnes" />. Davis was a civilian flying instructor with the Army Air Corps during World War II and was a test pilot at the Naval Air Station at Pearl Harbor and a senior lieutenant who was honorably discharged in 1945. <ref name="Find" />
Davis was born December 23, 1919, in [[St. Joseph, Missouri|St. Joseph]] and graduated from [[Cornell University]].<ref name="Barnes" /> Davis was a civilian flying instructor with the Army Air Corps during World War II and was a test pilot at the Naval Air Station at [[Pearl Harbor]] and a senior lieutenant who was honorably discharged in 1945.


==Career==
==Career==
In the 1950s, Davis took over his family business, Anchor Serum Co. Under his leadership, the company grew “into one of the largest pharmaceutical companies for veterinary medicine in the country”. The company merged into Phillips Lamps Co., in 1959. A Dutch-owned worldwide electronics corporation, Davis was named president of its U.S. subsidiaries and vice president of electronics. <ref name="Barnes" />
In the 1950s, Davis took over his family business, Anchor Serum Co. Under his leadership, the company grew "into one of the largest pharmaceutical companies for veterinary medicine in the country". The company merged into Phillips Lamps Co., in 1959. A Dutch-owned worldwide electronics corporation, Davis was named president of its U.S. subsidiaries and vice president of electronics.<ref name="Barnes" />


President [[John F. Kennedy]] appointed Davis ambassador to Switzerland in 1963. In an interview with ''[[The Washington Post]]'' in 1972, Davis said "Kennedy felt that economic intelligence flowed more freely between companies than between countries, and he wanted me for my international connections.” <ref name="Barnes" />
President [[John F. Kennedy]] appointed Davis ambassador to Switzerland in 1963.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 March 1989 |title=The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR WILLIAM TRUE DAVIS, JR |url=https://adst.org/OH%20TOCs/Davis,%20True.TOC.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240716185755/https://adst.org/OH%20TOCs/Davis,%20True.TOC.pdf |archive-date=16 July 2024 |access-date=16 July 2024 |website=Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training}}</ref> In an interview with ''[[The Washington Post]]'' in 1972, Davis said "Kennedy felt that economic intelligence flowed more freely between companies than between countries, and he wanted me for my international connections."<ref name="Barnes" />


He served as Ambassador until 1965, when Johnson named him assistant secretary of the treasury. In 1966, he was named U.S. executive director of the Inter-American Development Bank. He resigned in 1968 so he could run for the Democratic senatorial nomination from Missouri. He lost to [[Thomas Eagleton]], who went on to win the Senate seat. During Eagleton’s run to become Vice President in 1972, Davis told friends he knew of documents relating to Eagleton being charged with drunken and reckless driving. [[Jack Anderson (columnist)|Jack Anderson]] went on to report this in ''The Washington Post.''<ref name="Barnes" />
He served as Ambassador until 1965, when Johnson named him assistant secretary of the treasury. In 1966, he was named U.S. executive director of the Inter-American Development Bank. He resigned in 1968 so he could run for the Democratic senatorial nomination from Missouri. He lost to [[Thomas Eagleton]], who went on to win the Senate seat. During Eagleton's run to become vice president in 1972, Davis told friends he knew of documents relating to Eagleton being charged with drunken and reckless driving. [[Jack Anderson (columnist)|Jack Anderson]] went on to report this in ''The Washington Post.''<ref name="Barnes" />


Davis joined the National Bank of Washington in 1970 but was “eased out by officers of the United Mine Workers union, which was the bank's principal stockholder” in 1973. <ref name="Barnes" />
Davis joined the National Bank of Washington in 1970 but was "eased out by officers of the United Mine Workers union, which was the bank's principal stockholder" in 1973.<ref name="Barnes" />


==References==
==References==
<references />
<references />


{{US Ambassadors to Switzerland}}
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{{authority control}}


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, William True}}
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[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American diplomats]]
[[Category:Cornell University alumni]]
[[Category:Cornell University alumni]]
[[Category:American diplomats]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Switzerland]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Liechtenstein]]
[[Category:American bankers]]
[[Category:American bankers]]
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[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:People from St. Joseph, Missouri]]
[[Category:People from St. Joseph, Missouri]]
[[Category:Inter-American Development Bank]]
{{improve categories}}
[[Category:American chairpersons of corporations]]
[[Category:United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Army Air Forces officers]]

Latest revision as of 16:58, 7 August 2024

William True Davis (December 23, 1919 – February 26, 2003) was president and chairman of the National Bank of Washington and Ambassador to Switzerland. Under President Lyndon B. Johnson, Davis was assistant secretary of the treasury and then executive director of the Inter-American Development Bank. He died on February 26, 2003, of congestive heart failure in St. Joseph, Missouri.[1]

Early life

[edit]

Davis was born December 23, 1919, in St. Joseph and graduated from Cornell University.[1] Davis was a civilian flying instructor with the Army Air Corps during World War II and was a test pilot at the Naval Air Station at Pearl Harbor and a senior lieutenant who was honorably discharged in 1945.

Career

[edit]

In the 1950s, Davis took over his family business, Anchor Serum Co. Under his leadership, the company grew "into one of the largest pharmaceutical companies for veterinary medicine in the country". The company merged into Phillips Lamps Co., in 1959. A Dutch-owned worldwide electronics corporation, Davis was named president of its U.S. subsidiaries and vice president of electronics.[1]

President John F. Kennedy appointed Davis ambassador to Switzerland in 1963.[2] In an interview with The Washington Post in 1972, Davis said "Kennedy felt that economic intelligence flowed more freely between companies than between countries, and he wanted me for my international connections."[1]

He served as Ambassador until 1965, when Johnson named him assistant secretary of the treasury. In 1966, he was named U.S. executive director of the Inter-American Development Bank. He resigned in 1968 so he could run for the Democratic senatorial nomination from Missouri. He lost to Thomas Eagleton, who went on to win the Senate seat. During Eagleton's run to become vice president in 1972, Davis told friends he knew of documents relating to Eagleton being charged with drunken and reckless driving. Jack Anderson went on to report this in The Washington Post.[1]

Davis joined the National Bank of Washington in 1970 but was "eased out by officers of the United Mine Workers union, which was the bank's principal stockholder" in 1973.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f Barnes, Bart (March 5, 2003). "William True Davis Dies". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  2. ^ "The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR WILLIAM TRUE DAVIS, JR" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. 20 March 1989. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
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