Gordon B. Davidson (June 24, 1926 – July 17, 2015) was a Louisville, Kentucky-based business attorney,[2] and a member of the Louisville Sponsoring Group, the collection of business leaders who put up the money that launched Muhammad Ali into professional boxing.[3]
Gordon B. Davidson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 24, 1926 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | August 17, 2015 (aged 89)[1] Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Centre College, University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, Yale Law School |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Background
editDavidson was a lifelong resident of Louisville, Kentucky, who was born there on June 24, 1926.[4] He attended Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. Davidson earned his J.D. from University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, as well as a LL.M. from Yale Law School in 1952.[2][5] He was admitted to the Bar of the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1951.[6]
Career
editFrom 1954 to 1955, Davidson was a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stanley Forman Reed.[7] He and other clerks did research on the Brown vs. Board of Education desegregation litigation.[8]
In 1960, Davidson was part of the Louisville Sponsoring Group, who was responsible for signing Muhammad Ali to boxing.[9][10] The contract was signed on October 26, 1960, and Ali's first professional fight took place three days later, on October 29, 1960.[3]
Mr. Davidson served as managing partner at Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs from 1980 to 1995.[2][11]
Community activities
editDavidson served on the board of important companies, including The Courier-Journal and BellSouth.[12] He held leadership positions on the boards of a civic, charitable and educational institutions: Greater Louisville Inc., Louisville Central Area, Kentucky Derby Festival, and the Louisville Development Committee.[13] After numerous years of leadership for the Kentucky Center for the Arts,[2] he was a Director Emeritus for the organization.[14]
In 1973, he was named as an Outstanding Louisville Alumni for Centre College for his devotion to the school and his distinguished career.[15][16]
In 1989, the Louisville Area Chamber of Commerce bestowed on Davidson its top civic-service award, the Gold Cup, for his leadership at a number of major arts and civic organizations in the region.[17]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Courier Journal Obituary". legacy.com. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
- ^ a b c d Biography for Gordon B. Davidson Archived February 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b [1] Archived September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Wolfson, Andrew (August 18, 2015). "Last tie to Muhammad Ali sponsors dies". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ "Brandeis alum and 'Louisville legend' Gordon Davidson passes away". Brandeis School of Law News. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ "Lawyer Locator". Kybar.org. Archived from the original on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
- ^ "Interview with Gordon B. Davidson". Stanley F. Reed Oral History Project. Kentucky Digital Library. March 4, 1981. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ "Supreme Court Law Clerks' Recollections of Brown v. Board of Education II" (PDF). Roberthjackson.org. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
- ^ "Entry for Gordon B. Davidson". IMDB. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ Poinsett, Alex (March 1963). "A Look at Cassius Clay: Biggest Mouth in Boxing". Ebony. pp. 35–40. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ Timmons, Carol Brandon (August 18, 2015). "Former Wyatt managing partner has died". Louisville Business First. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ "Executive Profile: Gordon B. Davidson". Bloomberg. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ "Passing the Torch: Conversations with Louisville Leaders About Life, Leadership and Service" Butler Books 2005: 146-147. ISBN 1-884532-66-7
- ^ Board of Directors, Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts Archived October 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Centre College - Distinguished Alumni". Centrelinkonline.com. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
- ^ "Centre College - 2001_GordonDavidson1949". Centrelinkonline.com. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
- ^ Ducking the Issue; Garner Changes Channel, Urges Freedoms for TV (1989, January 12), The Courier-Journal