John Davies (swimmer)
Encyclopedia
John G. Davies was an Australian breaststroke
swimmer of the 1940s and 1950s who won a gold medal in the 200m breaststroke at the 1952 Summer Olympics
in Helsinki
. After retiring from swimming, he became a prominent lawyer in California
, and after becoming a naturalized American, he was appointed a judge
of the United States District Court
by Ronald Reagan
in 1986, and presided over the trial of the Los Angeles Police Department
officers charged with assaulting Rodney King
.
Growing up in Willoughby, Sydney, where his father was an accountant and his mother a nurse, Davies learnt to swim at the tidal pool in Northbridge, where he enjoyed competing against his friends. He and his brother spent their teenage years separated from their father, who joined the Royal Australian Air Force
and was a Japanese prisoner of war for three years. Davies left Narrabeen High School in 1945 and worked for the Caltex
oil company, who often granted him leave to compete at swimming competitions. He entered and won both breaststroke events at the 1946 New South Wales
Championships held at Manly
.
He began to train under Forbes Carlile
in 1947 and won the 220yd breaststroke at the Australian Championships, as well as helping New South Wales to win the 3x110yd medley
relay. He repeated these victories at the 1948 Australian Championships, earning selection for the 1948 Summer Olympics
in London at the age of 19. In the lead up to the Games, he won two races in London. Davies came second in his heat and fourth in his semifinal with an Australian record 2m 44.8s to qualify for the final of the 200m breaststroke. Davies set a new Australian record in the final, recording a time of 2m 43.7s. Although his time was recorded by the timekeepers to be 0.2s faster than the bronze medallist R Sohl of the United States, the judges believed that Sohl had touched first and awarded him the bronze.
After the Games, Davies enrolled at the University of Michigan
in Ann Arbor, where he trained under the guidance of Matt Mann
. Without scholarship support available for swimmers in that era, he pursued a Political Science
degree, while supporting himself by washing dishes and working at the International Student Centre. Mann also altered Davies's style, changing from the even-paced racing of Carlile to an early-attack oriented style of swimming. Davies managed a second placing at the 200yd breaststroke at the NCAA Championships in 1948, but failed to place in 1949 and 1950. In 1951 he won the 200m breaststroke at the US Championships and in 1952 won the 200yd breaststroke short course at the US Championships. The Australian Olympic Federation granted him an exemption from the Australian Championships and selected him for the 1952 Summer Olympics
in Helsinki
. He trained with fellow team member John Marshall
at Yale University
under Robert Kiphuth while the rest of the Australian team trained in Townsville.
Davies arrived in Helsinki as the favourite after setting a 200yd breaststroke world record earlier in the year, but after a poor time trial a week before the Games, he was forced to restrict his training to under a kilometre per day and sleep for 20 hours daily. Davies was not the fastest qualifier in the heats, but broke the Olympic record in the semifinals to qualify fastest for the final. Swimming in his even paced style, Davies trailed by more than 2 seconds at the 100m mark, but overhauled his rivals, pipping the United States' Bowen Stassforth
by 0.3s to set a new Olympic record time of 2m 34.4s.
to study law for two years before doing an exchange year at the University of Sydney
and then transferring to the University of California Los Angeles, where he completed his degree in 1959. He married and settled in Pasadena, California
, taking United States citizenship and passing the bar examinations to become an attorney
.
From 1960 to 1971 Davies was associated with, and then became a partner of Hagenbaugh, Murphy & Davies where he specialized in litigation and tried many cases in the areas of personal injury
, products liability, medical malpractice
, construction and insurance coverage. Davies joined the Beverly Hills, California
firm of Rosenfeld, Meyer & Susman in 1971, becoming a partner in 1972, practicing litigation. He represented major motion picture studios and entertainment companies.
On 22 April 1986, Davies was nominated by president
Ronald Reagan
to a seat on the United States District Court for the Central District of California
vacated by Cynthia Holcomb Hall
. Davies was confirmed
by the United States Senate
on 6 June 1986, and received his commission on 9 June 1986. He was well regarded by attorneys who practiced in his courtroom. They sometimes referred to him outside the Courtroom as "the Swimmer," but only in a well-meaning way.
Davies presided over the trial of a group of Los Angeles Police Department
officers charged in relation to the Rodney King
incident in 1992. In 1993 he was named District Judge of The Year by the Criminal Justice Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and he received the Congressional Certificate of Special Recognition for Exemplary Performance. He also received the Daniel O'Connell Award from the Irish American Bar Association. He retired from the bench on 18 July 1998. He continues to practice law privately, mostly as a private arbitrator or "rent-a-judge."
He has two adult children.
Breaststroke
The breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on his or her chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time. In most swimming classes, beginners learn...
swimmer of the 1940s and 1950s who won a gold medal in the 200m breaststroke at the 1952 Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. After retiring from swimming, he became a prominent lawyer in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and after becoming a naturalized American, he was appointed a judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
of the United States District Court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
by Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
in 1986, and presided over the trial of the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
officers charged with assaulting Rodney King
Rodney King
Rodney Glen King is an American best known for his involvement in a police brutality case involving the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991...
.
Growing up in Willoughby, Sydney, where his father was an accountant and his mother a nurse, Davies learnt to swim at the tidal pool in Northbridge, where he enjoyed competing against his friends. He and his brother spent their teenage years separated from their father, who joined the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
and was a Japanese prisoner of war for three years. Davies left Narrabeen High School in 1945 and worked for the Caltex
Caltex
Caltex is a petroleum brand name of Chevron Corporation used in more than 60 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and southern Africa.-History:...
oil company, who often granted him leave to compete at swimming competitions. He entered and won both breaststroke events at the 1946 New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
Championships held at Manly
Manly, New South Wales
Manly is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Manly is located 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Manly Council, in the Northern Beaches region.-History:Manly was named...
.
He began to train under Forbes Carlile
Forbes Carlile
Forbes Carlile MBE was Australia's first post-World War II Olympics swimming coach and later Australia's first competitor in the modern pentathlon at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He remains the only person to have coached and later competed at the Olympic Games.Born in Armadale, Victoria,...
in 1947 and won the 220yd breaststroke at the Australian Championships, as well as helping New South Wales to win the 3x110yd medley
Medley swimming
Medley is a combination of four different swimming styles into one race. This race is either swum by one swimmer as individual medley or by four swimmers as a medley relay...
relay. He repeated these victories at the 1948 Australian Championships, earning selection for the 1948 Summer Olympics
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
in London at the age of 19. In the lead up to the Games, he won two races in London. Davies came second in his heat and fourth in his semifinal with an Australian record 2m 44.8s to qualify for the final of the 200m breaststroke. Davies set a new Australian record in the final, recording a time of 2m 43.7s. Although his time was recorded by the timekeepers to be 0.2s faster than the bronze medallist R Sohl of the United States, the judges believed that Sohl had touched first and awarded him the bronze.
After the Games, Davies enrolled at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in Ann Arbor, where he trained under the guidance of Matt Mann
Matthew Mann
Matthew "Matt" Mann II was a British-born American college swimming coach and was coach of the men's swim team in the 1952 Summer Olympics that won four gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal....
. Without scholarship support available for swimmers in that era, he pursued a Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
degree, while supporting himself by washing dishes and working at the International Student Centre. Mann also altered Davies's style, changing from the even-paced racing of Carlile to an early-attack oriented style of swimming. Davies managed a second placing at the 200yd breaststroke at the NCAA Championships in 1948, but failed to place in 1949 and 1950. In 1951 he won the 200m breaststroke at the US Championships and in 1952 won the 200yd breaststroke short course at the US Championships. The Australian Olympic Federation granted him an exemption from the Australian Championships and selected him for the 1952 Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. He trained with fellow team member John Marshall
John Marshall (swimmer)
John Birnie Marshall was an Australian freestyle swimmer of the 1940s and 1950s who won a silver and bronze medal in the 1500 m and 400 m freestyle respectively at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
under Robert Kiphuth while the rest of the Australian team trained in Townsville.
Davies arrived in Helsinki as the favourite after setting a 200yd breaststroke world record earlier in the year, but after a poor time trial a week before the Games, he was forced to restrict his training to under a kilometre per day and sleep for 20 hours daily. Davies was not the fastest qualifier in the heats, but broke the Olympic record in the semifinals to qualify fastest for the final. Swimming in his even paced style, Davies trailed by more than 2 seconds at the 100m mark, but overhauled his rivals, pipping the United States' Bowen Stassforth
Bowen Stassforth
Bowen Stassforth was an American swimmer. He competed for his native country in the 200m breaststroke event at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, and claimed the silver medal....
by 0.3s to set a new Olympic record time of 2m 34.4s.
Legal career
Davies retired from swimming and returned to the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
to study law for two years before doing an exchange year at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
and then transferring to the University of California Los Angeles, where he completed his degree in 1959. He married and settled in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, taking United States citizenship and passing the bar examinations to become an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
.
From 1960 to 1971 Davies was associated with, and then became a partner of Hagenbaugh, Murphy & Davies where he specialized in litigation and tried many cases in the areas of personal injury
Personal injury
Personal injury is a legal term for an injury to the body, mind or emotions, as opposed to an injury to property. The term is most commonly used to refer to a type of tort lawsuit alleging that the plaintiff's injury has been caused by the negligence of another, but also arises in defamation...
, products liability, medical malpractice
Medical malpractice
Medical malpractice is professional negligence by act or omission by a health care provider in which the treatment provided falls below the accepted standard of practice in the medical community and causes injury or death to the patient, with most cases involving medical error. Standards and...
, construction and insurance coverage. Davies joined the Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
firm of Rosenfeld, Meyer & Susman in 1971, becoming a partner in 1972, practicing litigation. He represented major motion picture studios and entertainment companies.
On 22 April 1986, Davies was nominated by president
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
to a seat on the United States District Court for the Central District of California
United States District Court for the Central District of California
The United States District Court for the Central District of California serves over 18 million people in southern and central California, making it the largest federal judicial district by population...
vacated by Cynthia Holcomb Hall
Cynthia Holcomb Hall
Cynthia Holcomb Hall was a United States federal judge.-Early life and career:Born in Los Angeles, California, Hall received an A.B. from Stanford University in 1951, an LL.B. from Stanford Law School in 1954, and an LL.M. from New York University School of Law in 1960...
. Davies was confirmed
Advice and consent
Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in enacting formulae of bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts, describing a situation in which the executive branch of a government enacts something previously approved of by the legislative branch.-General:The expression is...
by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on 6 June 1986, and received his commission on 9 June 1986. He was well regarded by attorneys who practiced in his courtroom. They sometimes referred to him outside the Courtroom as "the Swimmer," but only in a well-meaning way.
Davies presided over the trial of a group of Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
officers charged in relation to the Rodney King
Rodney King
Rodney Glen King is an American best known for his involvement in a police brutality case involving the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991...
incident in 1992. In 1993 he was named District Judge of The Year by the Criminal Justice Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and he received the Congressional Certificate of Special Recognition for Exemplary Performance. He also received the Daniel O'Connell Award from the Irish American Bar Association. He retired from the bench on 18 July 1998. He continues to practice law privately, mostly as a private arbitrator or "rent-a-judge."
He has two adult children.