Avis de décès de Philip Davis - Nécrologie - MesAieux.com

Philip J. Affirmative Action Pioneer, Dies at 71 Philip J. Davis, a key player in the drafting and implementation of affirmative action legislation, and a former Vice President of Government Relations for Philip Morris Companies /Altria Group, Inc., died on November 29, 2006 at Norwalk Hospital, in Connecticut. The cause of death was cancer, said his family. He was 71. Philip J. Davis's career started while he was a student at Howard University in Washington, D.C. In 1959 he was selected as one of the first African American student interns in the U.S. House of Representatives. It was on Capitol Hill that he gained considerable insight into the management of a congressional office, national and local campaigns, deal-making, and an in-depth knowledge of the congressional legislative process. Upon graduating from college, Mr. Davis became a legislative assistant in the Congress, where he was employed for eight years. It was during this period that he worked with a member of the Wednesday Group - moderate Republican congressmen - interested in changing the leadership of the minority party in the House of Representatives. From the inside, he saw key members of the House develop the plan and execute an intensive lobbying strategy, which elevated Representative Gerald Ford of Michigan to become House minority leader. This winning strategy placed Mr. Ford in the key position from which he ultimately became President of the United States. During the height of the civil rights movement, Mr. Davis had a strong desire to work at the local level, where he could have more of a direct impact in civil rights decision-making, planning and strategy. He became the Executive Director of a county-wide Human Relations commission. Almost immediately, he established a reputation as an effective director. As such, he developed a close relationship with the New York State Commission for Human Rights, coordinated efforts with numerous community organizations, and advised the county legislature on local civil rights violations and needed enforcement. He was recognized as one of the most effective human relations professionals in the nation. After four years of local involvement, Mr. Davis was summoned back to Washington, where he was appointed Legislative Liaison Officer for the U.S. Department of Labor. Because of his previous experience on Capitol Hill, he was assigned as the Department of Labor's chief liaison with Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. In short order, he was named by the White House as the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor and Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance. In this position, Mr. Davis became the prime author of federal affirmative action rule making, and directed the efforts of 18 federal agencies in the enforcement of these rules. During his tenure as the leader of federal compliance and affirmative action, he oversaw national affirmative action agreements with steel companies, airlines, the automotive industry, and the American Telephone and Telegraph Company on issues of promotion in the workplace and appropriate back pay remedies for protected classes. Because of his expertise in the area, he was called to testify before congressional committees on issues of affirmative action, the rules he authored, and programs he enforced. In 1975, Mr. Davis was recruited to the private sector, where he was either elected by the Board of Directors or appointed by the Chairman of the Board as a corporate vice president in five fortune 100 companies - Avon, General Foods, Kraft, Norton Simon and Philip Morris Companies/Altria Group, Inc. He directed all corporate efforts for affirmative action programs and legislative lobbying. As chief state lobbyist for Kraft Foods, the nation's largest food company, he interfaced on a regular basis with America's 50 Governors and state legislatures. Mr. Davis focused on tax issues, package content, labeling, and all other issues impacting the company. Mr. Davis retired from Philip Morris Companies /Altria Group, Inc. in 1999. He later formed the Davis Consulting Group to represent corporations on issues pending before Governors. Mr. Davis has served on numerous boards and committees, including the U.S. Salvation Army's National Advisory Board, a trustee of St. Augustine's College, a panelist and attending executive at the Aspen Institute, the Business Policy Review Council, National Governors Association, and a founder of the Institute for American Business. A keen sports enthusiast, Mr. Davis enjoyed tennis and skiing, and was an avid golfer. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, the former Gwen Snow. The couple resided in South Salem, New York and West Palm Beach, Florida. He is also survived by two daughters, Andrea Davis Pinkney and Lynne Davis, both of Brooklyn, New York; a son, Philip J Davis, Jr., of Stamford, Connecticut; a son-in-law, J. Brian Pinkney; two grandchildren, Chloe and Dobbin Pinkney; four brothers, Cecil Clark of Mt. Vernon, New York, Lonnie Clark of Brooklyn, New York, Charles Clark of Elmira, New York, and Robert Clark of Atlanta, Georgia; a sister, Catherine Warfield of Brooklyn, New York; and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.