the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. In October 1942 he became president of the Vermont Bar Association, succeeding Joseph A. McNamara, and he served a one-year term. In 1943 he was appointed a vice president of National Life. He was named president in 1950, and served as chief executive officer from 1960 to 1966. From 1966 to 1968 Davis was National Life's chairman of the board. Governor of Vermont From 1957 to 1959, Davis served as chairman of a state commission that reviewed the organization and functions of the state government (a "little Hoover Commission") and proposed modernization and reforms in a report to the Vermont General Assembly. In 1968, Davis decided to continue that work by running for governor. His candidacy was out of the ordinary because he ran at a relatively advanced age, and because he had not served the usual "apprenticeship" of previous successful Republican nominees for governor. Prior to Davis, the Republican Party, which had controlled statewide offices for more than 100 years, had almost always prepared candidates for governor by electing them to leadership positions in the Vermont House of Representatives or Vermont Senate, or lesser state offices such as lieutenant governor. Davis defeated Attorney General James L. Oakes in the Republican primary. In the general election, Davis prevailed over Lieutenant Governor John J. Daley. Davis ran for reelection in 1970 and defeated Lieutenant Governor Thomas L. Hayes in the Republican primary. In the general election, Davis prevailed over Democrat Leo O'Brien Jr., who was a member of the Vermont Senate. Davis served as governor from 1969 to 1973. His governorship was particularly noteworthy for the creation of a state sales tax to help balance the state budget. Davis also oversaw the 1970 enactment of Act 250, a law designed to allow for planned real estate sale and development while also safeguarding the environment, community life, and aesthetic character of the state. Career as author In his retirement he authored three books, including 1980's Justice in the Mountains, 1982's Nothin' but the Truth, and 1991's Deane C. Davis: An Autobiography. Death and burial Davis died in Berlin on December 8, 1990. He was interred in Barre's Elmwood Cemetery. Family In 1924, Davis married Corrine Eastman (1901-1951). They were the parents of three children - Deane (1925-1929), Marian (1927-2014), and Thomas (1931-2017). In 1952, Davis married Marjorie Phyllis Smith Conzelman (1904-2003). Legacy In 1957, Davis received the