She was notable for her service as Vermont State Treasurer following an appointment to fill a vacancy, the first woman to hold the position.
Davidson was born Madelyn Helen Suitor in the hamlet of Websterville, Barre Town, Vermont on August 26, 1913.
[2][3] Davidson attended Simmons College,[4] but left before graduating because of financial hardships caused by the Great Depression.
[17] She lost her bid for a two-year term to Republican Frank H. Davis, a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Burlington.
In February, 1973, Thomas P. Salmon, who had recently begun his term as Governor of Vermont, named Davidson to serve as state Commissioner of Employment Security.
[25] Davidson's uncle, Fred W. Suitor, was active in politics as a socialist, and served as mayor of Barre City from 1929 to 1931.