Gordon B. Davidson

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(1926-06-24)June 24, 1926
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedAugust 17, 2015(2015-08-17) (aged 89)[1]
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Alma materCentre College, University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, Yale Law School
OccupationAttorney

Background

Davidson 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

From 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

Davidson 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

References
  1. "Courier Journal Obituary". legacy.com. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  2. Biography for Gordon B. Davidson Archived February 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Archived September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Wolfson, Andrew (August 18, 2015). "Last tie to Muhammad Ali sponsors dies". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  5. "Brandeis alum and 'Louisville legend' Gordon Davidson passes away". Brandeis School of Law News. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  6. "Lawyer Locator". Kybar.org. Archived from the original on 13 February 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  7. "Interview with Gordon B. Davidson". Stanley F. Reed Oral History Project. Kentucky Digital Library. March 4, 1981. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  8. "Supreme Court Law Clerks' Recollections of Brown v. Board of Education II" (PDF). Roberthjackson.org. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  9. "Entry for Gordon B. Davidson". IMDB. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  10. Poinsett, Alex (March 1963). "A Look at Cassius Clay: Biggest Mouth in Boxing". Ebony. pp. 35–40. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  11. Timmons, Carol Brandon (August 18, 2015). "Former Wyatt managing partner has died". Louisville Business First. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  12. "Executive Profile: Gordon B. Davidson". Bloomberg. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  13. "Passing the Torch: Conversations with Louisville Leaders About Life, Leadership and Service" Butler Books 2005: 146-147. ISBN 1-884532-66-7
  14. Board of Directors, Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts Archived October 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  15. "Centre College - Distinguished Alumni". Centrelinkonline.com. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  16. "Centre College - 2001_GordonDavidson1949". Centrelinkonline.com. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  17. Ducking the Issue; Garner Changes Channel, Urges Freedoms for TV (1989, January 12), The Courier-Journal
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