William Henry Davis Jr. '75, J.D. ’78

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William Henry Davis Jr. ’75, J.D. ’78, passed away quietly at the age of 72 on Aug. 26 at his home in Altadena, California, surrounded by his wife and three children.

A political science major as an undergraduate, Davis was active in the UCLA School of Law Moot Court Honors Program, becoming a Distinguished Advocate and a member of the Roger Traynor Team, which took second place in the state tournament.  He was elected Chief Justice of the Moot Court and a member of the National Order of the Barristers.

A spokesperson for the Black American Law Student Association, Davis led a strike against the proposed elimination of student involvement in the admissions process at UCLA.

During summers in law school, Davis worked in Sacramento as an intern - in 1976 for the California Veteran’s Affairs Department developing an alcohol treatment program at Yountville Veteran’s Home, the following year for Governor Jerry Brown, and in 1978 clerking for the Attorney General’s Office in the Land Law Section.

After a brief stint in private practice with Flame, Sanger, Grayson & Ginsburg, Davis became a deputy attorney general for the Los Angeles Attorney General’s Office Criminal Law Section, where he worked until he retired in 2006.

A memorial service is planned for 10 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 23, at St. Mark’s Church, 1014 Altadena Drive, Altadena, CA 91001, with a reception to follow.  The family states, "All are warmly welcomed," and indicates that, in lieu of flowers, scholarship donations may be made in Davis’ Memory to: Black Law Students Association at UCLA.

Checks can be made out to “The UCLA Foundation” (in the memo line, write “Student Org – BLSA”) and mailed to:

The UCLA Foundation
P.O. Box 7145
Pasadena, CA 91109-9903

For online donations, please visit https://law.ucla.edu/life-ucla-law/student-organizations/black-law-students-association.