John F. Davis (July 11, 1907 – July 18, 2000) was an American lawyer, law clerk, and law professor whose career included work on the defense team of Alger Hiss (including "director of the Hiss investigations in Washington"[1]) from 1948 to 1950"[2] and ten years of service as the 14th Clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States from September 1, 1961 to August 31, 1970.
In 1936, he briefly worked for a U.S. Senate committee investigating railroad finance, then moved to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
During World War II, he worked as counsel for the United States Coast Guard.
[3][6] Davis is best remembered as one of the defense attorneys who represented accused Soviet espionage agent Alger Hiss before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1948 and at Hiss's two 1949–50 trials for perjury in the Southern District of New York.
[clarification needed] In September 1948, he worked with William L. Marbury, Jr. After the U.S. Department of Justice indicted Hiss on two counts of perjury, Davis served on his defense team under Edward Cochrane McLean.
These included a government antitrust case against the DuPont Company, which forced it to divest from General Motors Corporation of $2.5 Billion or 23% of GM stock.
[3] Davis died age 93 on July 18, 2000, exactly one week after his birthday, in Washington, DC.
His survivors were his wife, son Marcus and daughter Susan, stepchildren Clint and Timothy Keeney Jr., five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.