Gordon Davis
Gordon Jamison Davis (born August 7, 1941) is an American lawyer and civic leader. He was born in Chicago in 1941 and has been a resident of New York City since his graduation from Harvard Law School in 1967, and has been a leader in New York City's public, civic, and legal affairs. He was Mayor Ed Koch's first New York City Parks Commissioner and is considered New York's most successful parks commissioner since the Robert Moses era. Since 2012, Davis has been a partner in the New York office of the law firm Venable LLP.
Gordon J. Davis | |
|---|---|
| Parks Commissioner of New York City | |
| In office January 23, 1978 – April 1, 1983 | |
| Appointed by | Ed Koch |
| Preceded by | Joseph P. Davidson |
| Succeeded by | Henry Stern |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gordon Jamison Davis August 7, 1941 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Peggy Cooper Davis (m. 1968) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Hyde Park High School Francis Parker School |
| Alma mater | Williams College (BA) Columbia University Harvard University (JD) |
| Occupation | Lawyer, Civic Leader |
Davis was one of the first African Americans to become a partner in a major New York corporate law firm (Lord Day & Lord, 1983). He is the Founding Chairman of Jazz at Lincoln Center, one of the four Founding Trustees of the Central Park Conservancy, a Founding Member in the first class inducted into the Performing Arts Hall of Fame at Lincoln Center, a Life Trustee of the New York Public Library, an appointee of President Barack Obama to the board of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and a recipient of an honorary degree (LL.D.) and the Bicentennial Medal from his alma mater, Williams College.