Samuel Davis (1914–1996) was a Canadian

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

and

municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the gov ...

politician who served as the 70th

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Saint John,

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

from 1977 to 1980. He was first elected as a Saint John City Council member in 1969, and elected as mayor in 1977. He was the first

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

mayor of Saint John.

Life and career

Samuel Davis was born in 1914, in Saint John,

. His family immigrated to the city. He was educated at the

Saint John High School Saint John High School (SJHS) is a high school located in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest publicly funded school in Canada. History Saint John High School was a filming location for the 2001 crime dra ...

, from which he graduated and began attending

vocational school A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary education#List of tech ed skills, secondary or post-secondar ...

to study motor mechanics. He went on to attend the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English language, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...

(UNB), where he received an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

, and moved on to the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

where he received his

Master of Engineering A Master of Engineering (abbreviated MEng, ME, M.E. or M.Eng.) is a Professional degree, professional master's degree in the field of engineering. International variations Australia In Australia, the Master of Engineering degree is a research ...

in 1939. He was employed at UNB as a

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

, and worked during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as an

aeronautical engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

. Additionally, Davis ran a shoe store on King Street called Wiezel's, named after the maiden name of his wife, Gladys () Davis. Davis would first serve as a school board member, and was first elected as a Saint John City Council member in 1969. On 11 May 1977, Davis was elected as Mayor of Saint John after defeating the incumbent Edis A. Flewwelling. At the time, he served on the Board of Governors of UNB. Davis was additionally the first Jewish mayor in Saint John. In 1979, Davis presented awards for Fred Hodges, Saint John's first visible minority councilor and civil rights and labour activist. during a dinner in his honouring. Davis was defeated in the 1980 election by Bob Lockhart. He continued to serve as a councilor until at least 1989.

Personal life and death

In 1940, Davis became married to his wife, Gladys Wiezel. Davis died in 1996. He is one of multiple notable Jewish community members displayed in the

Saint John Jewish Historical Museum The Saint John Jewish Historical Museum in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, preserves and displays the history of the Jewish community in the city of Saint John. The Museum was opened by founder Marcia Koven in 1986. A Jewish Historical Society h ...

. In 2005, Davis' son, Gary Davis, established the Gladys and Samuel Davis Fund.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Samuel 1914 births 1996 deaths Mayors of Saint John, New Brunswick University of New Brunswick alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Engineers from New Brunswick Jewish mayors of places in Canada 20th-century Canadian Jews 20th-century mayors of places in New Brunswick