319:(Alcoa) in 1907; he became president in 1910 and chairman of the board in 1928, in which capacity he served until 1958. Although by this time aluminum was more widely known, it was by no means a household word. Davis' major responsibility was to promote the manufacturing and selling of quality aluminum products: Alcoa's Wear-Ever line of cookware was sold by college students recruited each spring; Alcoa made aluminum wire as an electrical conductor when copper-wire producers refused to do so; and aluminum horseshoes, bicycles, covers for bottles, canteens, and ships, and the
338:, but the case was dismissed in 1930. In 1937 the Justice Department began an extensive antitrust case against Alcoa. This one was conspicuous for its duration and for Davis' extraordinary performance on the witness stand. Davis was the star witness, testifying for six weeks and contributing over 2,000 pages of testimony. In dismissing the petition of the Justice Department, the trial judge praised Davis, who also drew accolades from his Alcoa colleagues for having personally won the company's case.
25:
414:
Davis bought 5,000 acres of land in
Eleuthera in 1939 and 30,000 more acres after the war. He investing in farming and a canning factory and introduced associated infrastructure. Davis sold most of his holdings to the government in 1950 for a resort venture; when the venture failed, Davis repurchased
348:
Because Davis cherished privacy, his personal success was not accompanied by much exposure to the media about his business or private life. He did not usually fare well in interviews. "I've had to work hard all my life," he asserted to a reporter. "I've had to work sixteen hours a day to make a good
345:, Davis built Alcoa into an industrial giant. He also amassed great wealth as the company's largest stockholder, thereby provoking continued personal confrontation with Washington. At the time of his retirement from Alcoa in 1957, he was listed as the third-richest individual in the world.
406:
and all of Bird, Otter and Coon Keys," all islands on the west coast of
Florida. The rapid acquisition and size of the investments resulted in considerable publicity and additional controversy with the government, this time with the
423:
Davis married
Florence Isabel Holmes, of Indiana, on October 23, 1894, in Allegheny Co, PA. She died on May 3, 1909, in Pittsburgh, PA. In March 1912, he married Elizabeth Hawkins Weiman, who died in 1933. He had no children.
291:, Davis obtained a job with that company. Although aluminum's favorable characteristics as an industrial metal had been known for several decades, it was expensive to manufacture; Hunt's company hoped to capitalize on
444:
model town he had founded in 1927 for working families. The Arthur Vining Davis
Foundations provide financial assistance to educational, religious, cultural, and scientific institutions, and are regular
302:
The work required a handyman's disposition—overalls and a twelve-hour day—as the manufacturing process was a continuous one. Davis and Hall became close associates during the experimental phase, and on
334:
charged Alcoa with three counts of violation of the antitrust laws; within a few weeks, the company signed a consent decree. In 1922, the company underwent investigation by the
135:
398:
when it came to power), as well as ownership or control of some thirty
Florida enterprises ranging from dairy farms to resort hotels. In 1959, Davis purchased "half of
355:
magazine referred to Davis as a "terrible-tempered tycoon...ruling with desk-thumping autocracy," a view that was not atypical in the press at large.
235:(May 30, 1867 – November 17, 1962) was an American industrialist and philanthropist, for many years president, chairman and largest stockholder of the
408:
491:
580:
436:
400-million estate. Only a small portion of his wealth went to individuals. The majority went to a trust he had established in 1952 and to
287:
As a result of his father's friendship with a former parishioner, Alfred E. Hunt, founder of the
Pittsburgh Reduction Company that made
610:
595:
89:
61:
315:
Davis soon became general manager of the firm and a director in 1892. He continued as general manager when the firm became the
605:
68:
42:
331:
590:
108:
75:
341:
Awarded the
Presidential Certificate of Merit for ensuring that the government had adequate supplies of aluminum in
585:
507:
Paschal, Guy (ed.) (1959, May 28) Letter from the editor. The Key Look-out. 4th year (1). pg. 7. Retrieved from
57:
46:
394:(he was said to own one-quarter of the island before his property there was nationalized by the government of
304:
446:
379:
335:
260:
256:
190:
82:
35:
186:
600:
553:, 1998, Sarasota: Pineapple Press, Chapter 27. Compares the lives of Arthur Vining Davis and
268:
252:
155:
575:
570:
433:
264:
8:
292:
363:
Before retiring from Alcoa, Davis began a second career by investing primarily in the
554:
466:
351:
327:
326:
But these years were also highlighted by confrontations with the government over
320:
276:
272:
437:
375:
174:
564:
391:
508:
399:
395:
383:
342:
296:
364:
236:
24:
403:
288:
134:
368:
441:
374:
The investments included extensive real estate holdings in the
316:
240:
528:(e-book ed.). University Press of Florida. p. 212.
323:' airplane engine were evidence of the metal's versatility.
387:
544:
Dictionary of
American Biography, Supplement 7: 1961–1965
551:
Southeast
Florida Pioneers: The Palm and Treasure Coasts
259:
minister, and Mary
Frances. After attending school in
16:
American industrialist and philanthropist (1867–1962)
307:
of 1888, they poured the first commercial aluminum.
295:'s experiments to produce the metal at low cost via
459:
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
275:, graduating in 1888 three years after his friend
526:Race and Class in the Colonial Bahamas, 1880-1960
358:
562:
557:, another heavy investor in Florida real estate.
546:. American Council of Learned Societies, 1981.
246:
415:most of his former holdings for less money.
349:living. Do you work sixteen hours a day?"
133:
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
523:
509:https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00048570/00001/7x
440:(from ARthur VIning DAvis), a northern
563:
492:"Everybody's Pining for Isle of Pines"
581:American manufacturing businesspeople
467:"Our History: A Legacy of Innovation"
519:
517:
47:adding citations to reliable sources
18:
427:
13:
409:Securities and Exchange Commission
14:
622:
611:Burials at Locust Valley Cemetery
596:People from Sharon, Massachusetts
514:
378:area (estimated at one-eighth of
418:
255:, the son of Perley B. Davis, a
251:Arthur Vining Davis was born in
23:
432:Davis died in Miami, leaving a
282:
34:needs additional citations for
501:
484:
359:Investments and philanthropies
1:
452:
536:
7:
606:Roxbury Latin School alumni
317:Aluminum Company of America
247:Early history and education
10:
627:
213:
205:
197:
182:
163:
141:
132:
125:
591:American philanthropists
336:Federal Trade Commission
310:
261:Hyde Park, Massachusetts
223:Elizabeth Hawkins Weiman
542:"Arthur Vining Davis".
524:Saunders, Gail (2016).
191:Locust Valley, New York
586:Amherst College alumni
549:* McGoun, William E.,
187:Locust Valley Cemetery
490:Ediger, Theadore A.,
330:issues. In 1912, the
253:Sharon, Massachusetts
156:Sharon, Massachusetts
58:"Arthur Vining Davis"
496:St. Petersburg Times
265:Roxbury Latin School
43:improve this article
293:Charles Martin Hall
233:Arthur Vining Davis
127:Arthur Vining Davis
332:Justice Department
555:John D. MacArthur
402:, a good part of
230:
229:
167:November 17, 1962
119:
118:
111:
93:
618:
530:
529:
521:
512:
505:
499:
498:, June 21, 1959.
488:
482:
481:
479:
477:
463:
428:Death and legacy
305:Thanksgiving Day
271:, Davis entered
170:
152:
150:
137:
123:
122:
114:
107:
103:
100:
94:
92:
51:
27:
19:
626:
625:
621:
620:
619:
617:
616:
615:
561:
560:
539:
534:
533:
522:
515:
506:
502:
489:
485:
475:
473:
465:
464:
460:
455:
430:
421:
361:
321:Wright brothers
313:
285:
277:Calvin Coolidge
273:Amherst College
249:
226:
220:Florence Holmes
178:
172:
168:
159:
153:
148:
146:
128:
115:
104:
98:
95:
52:
50:
40:
28:
17:
12:
11:
5:
624:
614:
613:
608:
603:
598:
593:
588:
583:
578:
573:
559:
558:
547:
538:
535:
532:
531:
513:
500:
483:
457:
456:
454:
451:
429:
426:
420:
417:
360:
357:
312:
309:
284:
281:
257:Congregational
248:
245:
228:
227:
225:
224:
221:
217:
215:
211:
210:
207:
206:Known for
203:
202:
199:
195:
194:
184:
180:
179:
175:Miami, Florida
173:
171:(aged 95)
165:
161:
160:
154:
143:
139:
138:
130:
129:
126:
117:
116:
31:
29:
22:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
623:
612:
609:
607:
604:
602:
599:
597:
594:
592:
589:
587:
584:
582:
579:
577:
574:
572:
569:
568:
566:
556:
552:
548:
545:
541:
540:
527:
520:
518:
510:
504:
497:
493:
487:
472:
468:
462:
458:
450:
448:
443:
439:
435:
425:
419:Personal life
416:
412:
410:
405:
401:
397:
393:
392:Isle of Pines
389:
385:
381:
377:
372:
370:
366:
356:
354:
353:
346:
344:
339:
337:
333:
329:
324:
322:
318:
308:
306:
300:
298:
294:
290:
280:
278:
274:
270:
266:
262:
258:
254:
244:
242:
238:
234:
222:
219:
218:
216:
212:
208:
204:
201:Industrialist
200:
196:
192:
188:
185:
183:Resting place
181:
176:
166:
162:
157:
144:
140:
136:
131:
124:
121:
113:
110:
102:
99:November 2019
91:
88:
84:
81:
77:
74:
70:
67:
63:
60: –
59:
55:
54:Find sources:
48:
44:
38:
37:
32:This article
30:
26:
21:
20:
601:Alcoa people
550:
543:
525:
503:
495:
486:
474:. Retrieved
470:
461:
431:
422:
413:
400:Longboat Key
396:Fidel Castro
384:Arvida Corp.
373:
362:
350:
347:
343:World War II
340:
325:
314:
301:
297:electrolysis
286:
283:Early Career
250:
232:
231:
209:Philanthropy
169:(1962-11-17)
145:May 30, 1867
120:
105:
96:
86:
79:
72:
65:
53:
41:Please help
36:verification
33:
576:1962 deaths
571:1867 births
382:; see also
380:Dade County
565:Categories
511:on 8/11/21
453:References
263:, and the
198:Occupation
149:1867-05-30
69:newspapers
537:Resources
471:Alcoa.com
386:) and on
328:antitrust
239:producer
449:donors.
404:Lido Key
289:aluminum
237:aluminum
476:May 20,
369:Florida
365:Bahamas
214:Spouses
147: (
83:scholar
442:Quebec
438:Arvida
269:Boston
193:, U.S.
177:, U.S.
158:, U.S.
85:
78:
71:
64:
56:
376:Miami
311:Alcoa
241:Alcoa
90:JSTOR
76:books
478:2024
388:Cuba
367:and
352:Time
164:Died
142:Born
62:news
447:PBS
390:'s
371:.
279:.
267:in
45:by
567::
516:^
494:,
469:.
434:$
411:.
299:.
243:.
189:,
480:.
151:)
112:)
106:(
101:)
97:(
87:·
80:·
73:·
66:·
39:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
