Gray Davis | |
|---|---|
 Davis in 2010 | |
| 37th Governor of California | |
| In office January 4, 1999 – November 17, 2003 | |
| Lieutenant | Cruz Bustamante |
| Preceded by | Pete Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| 44th Lieutenant Governor of California | |
| In office January 2, 1995 – January 4, 1999 | |
| Governor | Pete Wilson |
| Preceded by | Leo T. McCarthy |
| Succeeded by | Cruz Bustamante |
| 28th Controller of California | |
| In office January 5, 1987 – January 2, 1995 | |
| Governor | George Deukmejian Pete Wilson |
| Preceded by | Kenneth Cory |
| Succeeded by | Kathleen Connell |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 43rd district | |
| In office December 6, 1982 – November 30, 1986 | |
| Preceded by | Howard Berman |
| Succeeded by | Terry B. Friedman |
| Chief of Staff to the Governor of California | |
| In office 1975–1981 | |
| Governor | Jerry Brown |
| Preceded by | Edwin Meese |
| Succeeded by | B. T. Collins |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joseph Graham Davis Jr. December 26, 1942 New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Education | Stanford University (BA) Columbia University (JD) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1967–1969[1] |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Bronze Star |
Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 37th governor of California from 1999 until he was recalled and removed from office in 2003. He is the second state governor in U.S. history to have been recalled, after Lynn Frazier of North Dakota.
A member of the Democratic Party, Davis holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from Stanford University and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his service as a captain in the Vietnam War. Prior to serving as governor, Davis was chief of staff to Governor Jerry Brown (1975–1981), a California State Assemblyman (1983–1987), California State Controller (1987–1995) and the 44th lieutenant governor of California (1995–1999).
During his time as governor, Davis made education his top priority and California spent eight billion dollars more than was required under Proposition 98 during his first term. In California, under Davis, standardized test scores increased for five straight years.[2] Davis signed the nation's first state law requiring automakers to limit auto emissions. Davis supported laws to ban assault weapons and is also credited with improving relations between California and Mexico.[3] Davis began his tenure as governor with strong approval ratings, but they declined as voters blamed him for the California electricity crisis, the California budget crisis that followed the bursting of the dot-com bubble, and the car tax.
On October 7, 2003, Davis was recalled. In the recall election, 55.4% of voters supported his removal. He was succeeded in office on November 17, 2003, by actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who won the recall replacement election. After being recalled, Davis worked as a lecturer at the UCLA School of Public Affairs and as an attorney at Loeb & Loeb.
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Accomp.was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Headlines in search show improved relations". Fox.presidencia.gob.mx. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2010-08-14.