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Helsinki Gold Medallist, Retired Federal Court Judge John Davies Passes Away Peacefully in Pasadena at 90

Published on Wednesday, April 1, 2020 | 4:40 am
 
John G. Davies, Image courtesy wikipedia

John G. Davies, who served as a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California from 1986 to 1998 and was a legendary Australian Olympic champion before that, died Wednesday in Pasadena after a months-long battle with cancer. He was 90.

Davies was one of the early pioneers in butterfly-breaststroke, which is now the modern-day butterfly. Born in Australia, he came to the U.S. in 1949 to study at the University of Michigan. He was a student when, in 1952, he represented Australia in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

Davies participated in the 200-meter breaststroke, adopting the experimental butterfly-breaststroke style. After swimming in a poor time trial the week before, Davies entered the event prelims by sleeping 20 hours a day and minimally training for three days.

Eventually, he led the prelims and semi-finals, and captured the gold medal over American Bowen Strassforth and German Herbert Klein.

In addition to the Olympic gold medal, Davies earned four AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) and 2 NCAA individual breaststroke titles while competing at the University of Michigan from 1948 to 1952.

After earning his undergraduate degree, Davies returned to Australia to study law, then came back to the U.S., earning his law degree from USC in 1959, and becoming a naturalized citizen.

Davies was in private practice from 1961 to 1986. He was a partner in the Beverly Hills law firm of Rosenfeld, Meyer and Susman when he was nominated to the District Court by President Ronald Reagan on April 22, 1986. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 6, 1986, becoming the first Australian American to become a federal judge.

Davies presided over the civil rights trial of the Los Angeles Police Department officers who were charged with assaulting motorist Rodney King in 1991. The officers were earlier acquitted in state court in 1992, a decision believed to have been contributory to the Los Angeles riots which resulted in 63 deaths.

In 1993, Davies sentenced the officers to two-and-a half years in prison.

“He was one of the best federal judges ever to serve, and to my knowledge the only Olympics gold medalist to become a federal judge,” Retired U.S. District Court Judge Robert C. Bonner told Metropolitan News-Enterprise. “In my view, he was ‘the Judge who saved L.A.,’ with his superb handling of the federal civil rights trial of the police who beat Rodney King. We have lost a great judge and a good friend.”

In 1984, Davies was inducted in the International Swimming Hall of Fame, followed by his induction to the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1992.

In 2000, Davies also earned an Australian Sports Medal.

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