Pauline Davis | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the California State Assembly | |
| In office January 5, 1953 – November 30, 1976 | |
| Preceded by | Lester Thomas Davis |
| Succeeded by | Stan Statham |
| Constituency | 2nd district (1953–1967) 1st district (1967–1976) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 3, 1917 Verdigre, Nebraska |
| Died | December 14, 1995 (aged 78) Sacramento, California |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Lester Thomas Davis |
| Children | 3 |
Pauline Lillian Vakoch Davis (January 3, 1917 – December 14, 1995) was an American politician and her career was the longest of any woman in either house of the California Legislature. She was one of the few women to serve in the California State Assembly from 1953 until she retired in 1976, including one stint between 1961 and 1966 when she was the only woman member in the Legislature. Sometimes called the "Lady of the Lakes" for her advocacy of recreational and water development projects in California's rural areas,[1] she was a Democrat who represented the 2nd District, an area encompassing several counties in the state's Shasta Cascade region, from 1953 until 1966. Following redistricting for the 1966 elections, she became the representative for the 1st District, which encompassed generally the same area. Davis represented the 1st District from 1966 until her retirement in 1976. She was originally elected to the Assembly following the May 23, 1952 death of her husband Lester Thomas Davis, who had served in the Assembly since 1947.[2][3] As an Assembly member representing a nine-county mountain district that would eventually serve as the source of water for the State Water Project, Davis battled to protect the interests of her constituents.[4] Davis's interests included, in addition to water development and recreation, fish and wildlife enhancement, emergency flood and relief laws, highway safety laws, problems of the lumber industry, and enhancement of youth programs at local fairs.[5]
- ^ "Pauline Davis". Water Education Foundation. 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
- ^ Join California-Pauline L. Davis
- ^ 'Pauline Davis; Assemblywomen for 24 years,' Los Angeles Times, December 16, 1995
- ^ Davis, Pauline L. (1986). California Assemblywoman, 1952-1976, an oral history conducted by 1977-1982 by Malca Chall, Regional Oral History Office (PDF). Berkeley, California: The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
- ^ "Inventory of the Pauline L. Davis Papers". oac.cdlib.org. Retrieved 2023-06-25.