to set up Davis as the 'czar' of post-war recovery by appointing him Economic Stabilizer, Harry Truman fired him within months of taking office, and eliminated his potentially powerful role. Davis became an open critic of Truman's labor policies, but the two must have reached some degree of accommodation by 1949, when Truman appointed Davis to head the Atomic Energy Commission's Labor Relations Panel. Other activities Davis was involved with progressive New York philanthropic and cultural organizations throughout his career. While on the Labor Committee of Edward A. Filene's Twentieth Century Fund in the early 1930s, he worked closely with the office of Sen. Robert F. Wagner to craft the National Labor Relations Act. Later he served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the New School for Social Research Davis' wife, Grace D. Davis, died in 1972. References Further reading Nelson Lichtenstein, "William Hammatt Davis" in Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement Seven (New York, 1981), pp. 171–173 Testimonial to William H. Davis Davis' speeches are preserved in the archives of the Cornell University Library. Index to Speeches of William H. Davis 1879 births 1964 deaths Franklin D. Roosevelt administration personnel Truman administration personnel People from Bangor, Maine George Washington University Law School alumni