John H. Davis ’47 Obituary

The following is a memoriam published by the Browning School in their magazine:

John H. Davis ’47, prolific chronicler of prominent American families including the Kennedys, the Guggenheims, the Gambinos and the family he shared with his cousin, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis — the Bouviers of New York and East Hampton — died on January 29 at his home in Manhattan. After nine years at Browning, Mr. Davis attended Deerfield Academy and Princeton University. Following his Princeton graduation, Mr. Davis was commissioned to the rank of ensign in the United States Naval Reserve. While on duty, Mr. Davis applied for and received a Fulbright scholarship for study in Italy, where, after completing his service, he studied at the Italian Institute for Historical Studies in Naples. He became fluent in Italian and remained in Italy for 13 years, as founding director of the American Studies Center in Naples, then as director of Tufts University’s Intercollegiate Center of Italian Studies. Books authored by Mr. Davis include: The Bouviers: Portrait of an American Family, The Kennedys: Dynasty and Disaster,Mafia Kingfish: Carlos Marcello and the Assassination of John F. Kennedy, Mafia Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the Gambino Crime Family, The Guggenheims: An American Epic, and Jacqueline Bouvier: An Intimate Memoir. He spent his last years at home under the care of his friend Sohodra Nathu, who worked on many of his books. He is survived by his sister, Maude S. Davis. More information can be found in Mr. Davis’s obituary in the New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/arts/john-h-davis

Mr. Davis was very proud of his high school — Deerfield Academy.

John H. Davis Class of 1947

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