History
On February 12, 1920, Ramon T. Davis was born in the community of Watertown in Wilson County, Tennessee. Treasurer Davis was the son of Norman Tarver and Lela B. (Jewell) Davis. He was educated at Lebanon High School and then pursued higher education at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee. On May 24, 1941, he wed Gwendolyn Ligon from Lebanon, Tennessee and they eventually had one daughter, Diana L. Davis who was born in 1946.
From 1941 to March of 1942, Treasurer Davis served as the bookkeeper at Camp Forrest near Tullahoma, Tennessee. After a brief time, he entered the U.S. Navy and served in various duties and stations until honorably discharged as Aviation Radioman 1/c in October 1945. After World War II ended, he became the Casualty Field Representative for Travelers Insurance Company. He served in that position until 1950 when he decided to form his own insurance agency called Davis Insurance Agency in Lebanon, Tennessee. After three years, the company merged with Dodson Insurance Company of Lebanon.
After working in the insurance business for several years, Treasurer Davis was appointed Director of Personnel for the State of Tennessee on February 12, 1953. He served in that position until June 30, 1955, when he was appointed to fill the unexpired term as State Treasurer. He was later elected to be State Treasurer in January of 1957 and was re-elected in January of 1959.
In addition to serving as State Treasurer, Treasurer Davis was active in many organizations. He was a member of the American Legion and served as a Post and District Commander. He also was a past president for the Lebanon Kiwanis Club and a member of the Lebanon Chamber of Commerce. Treasurer Davis also was a member of the Tennessee Association of Insurance Agents, the Lebanon Airport Commission, and was the Past Director of Civil Defense of Lebanon, Tennessee and Wilson County. After many years of serving the community in various roles, Treasurer Davis passed away on November 10, 2000.
Reference: Tennessee Blue Book, 1956; Tennessee Blue Book, 1960; State Library and Archives Photograph DB 20994; Frank E. Bass, Who's Who in Tennessee: A Reference Edition Recording the Biographies of Contemporary Leaders in Tennessee with Special Emphasis on Their Achievements in Making the Volunteer State one of America's Greatest(Hopkinsville, KY: 1961); Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 [database on-line].