John Davies (swimmer)

"John G. Davies" redirects here. For other uses, see John G. Davies (disambiguation).
For the British swimmer, see Goldup Davies. For the New Zealand swimmer, see Jack Davies (swimmer).

John Davies
Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California
In office
9 June 1986 – 18 July 1998
Appointed byRonald Reagan
Preceded byCynthia Holcomb Hall
Succeeded byJohn F. Walter
Personal details
Born
John Griffith Davies

(1929-05-17)17 May 1929
Willoughby, New South Wales, Australia[1]
Died24 March 2020(2020-03-24) (aged 90)[2]
Pasadena, California, United States
SpouseMargery M. Follinger[3]
EducationUniversity of Michigan (B.A.)
UCLA School of Law (LL.B.)
Sports career
National team Australia
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight193 lb (88 kg)
SportSwimming
StrokesBreaststroke
College teamUniversity of Michigan
Medal record
Representing Australia
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1952 Helsinki 200 m breaststroke
Amateur Athletic Union
Gold medal – first place 1952 Indoor Championships 220 yd breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1951 Outdoor Championships 200 m breaststroke[4]
Gold medal – first place 1951 Outdoor Championships 100 m breaststroke[5]
Gold medal – first place 1951 Outdoor Championships 300 m Medley Relay
Gold medal – first place 1951 Indoor Championships 220 yd breaststroke[6]
Silver medal – second place 1951 Indoor Championships 100 yd breaststroke[6]
Silver medal – second place 1948 Outdoor Championships 200 m breaststroke[7]
NCAA
Silver medal – second place 1948 Championships 200 yd breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1952 Championships 200 yd breaststroke[8]
Gold medal – first place 1952 Championships 100 yd breaststroke[8]
Big Ten
Gold medal – first place 1952 Championships 200 yd breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1951 Championships 200 yd breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1952 Championships 100 yd breaststroke

John Griffith Davies[9] (17 May 1929 – 24 March 2020)[2] was an Australian-American swimmer and United States federal judge. As a breaststroke swimmer of the 1940s and 1950s, he won a gold medal in the 200-metre breaststroke at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, set a world record in the 200 yard breaststroke (short course)[10] and tied the world record in the 200 m breaststroke (long course). After retiring from competition swimming, he became a lawyer in California and, after becoming a naturalized American, was appointed a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of California by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, and presided over the trial of the Los Angeles Police Department officers charged with assaulting Rodney King.[2]

  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "John Davies". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "John G. Davies, 90, Retired Judge of U.S. District Court, Dies". www.metnews.com.
  3. ^ Confirmation hearings on federal appointments :hearings before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, Ninety-ninth Congress, first session, on confirmation hearings on appointments to the federal judiciary and the Department of Justice. S. HRG.; 99-141 PTS. 1-4. Washington. 31 March 1985. hdl:2027/umn.31951d00819117z.
  4. ^ Los Angeles Times 28 March 1951 Page B3
  5. ^ New York Times 6 April 1952 Page S1
  6. ^ a b New York Times 8 April 1951 Page 159
  7. ^ Los Angeles Times 5 September 1948 Page 11
  8. ^ a b New York Times 30 March 1952 Page S1
  9. ^ "Davies, John Griffith: Australian Sports Medal". It's an Honour. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  10. ^ Cedar Rapids Gazette 29 March 1952 Page 4