Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 37th governor of California from 1999 until he was recalled and removed from office in 2003. He is the second state governor in U.S. history to have been recalled, after Lynn Frazier of North Dakota.

Before the successful recall of Gray Davis, no California statewide official had ever been recalled, although there had been 117 previous attempts. Only seven of those even made it onto the ballot, all for state legislators. Every California governor since Goodwin Knight in the 1950s has been subject to a recall effort. Davis was the first ...

Gray Davis earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Stanford University and a Juris Doctorate from Columbia University Law School. In 1961, while at Stanford University, he joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps.

Sep 12, 2021 · California Gov. Gavin Newsom faces a recall election this week. NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Gray Davis, who was removed as governor of California through a recall election in 2003.

Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis, Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American politician who served as the Democratic Governor of California from 1999 until being recalled in 2003. Prior to serving as governor, Davis served as chief of staff to Gov. Jerry Brown (1975-1981), California State Assemblyman (1983-1987), California State Controller (1987 ...

Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis, Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American retired politician and attorney. Davis served as the 37th Governor of California from 1999 to 2003.

May 28, 2023 · Davis served as governor of California from 1999 until 2003. Since leaving office, he’s kept a close eye on the state’s Democratic Party and is particularly excited about the potential candidates in the 2026 gubernatorial race.

The 2002 California gubernatorial election was an election that occurred on November 5, 2002. Gray Davis, a Democrat and the incumbent governor of California, defeated the Republican challenger Bill Simon by 5% and was re-elected to a second four-year term. Davis would be recalled less than a year into his next term.

37th Governor of California, January 4, 1999-2003 (Democrat) Born: December 26, 1942, in New York City. Marriage: Sharon Ryer (1983) Born Joseph Graham Davis, Jr., young Davis received the nickname of Gray from his mother. That remained his name of …

Biography: Governor Gray Davis Joseph "Gray" Davis was overwhelmingly elected the 37th governor of California in 1998, winning 58 percent of the vote. As Governor, he made education a top priority, signing legislation to strengthen California's K-12 system, increasing accountability in schools, and expanding access to higher education with a ...