Biography
Personal
John was born on Feb. 2, 1945, in Bethesda, Maryland. He has been an Alaska resident from 1967 to 1974 and from 1981 to the present. He lives in Fairbanks with his wife, Linda Schandelmeier. John and Linda have five children: Brian, Karen, Lauren, Ben and Mara.
Interests include camping, hiking, canoeing, skiing, and biking.
Education
- Lake Washington High School, Kirkland, Washington, 1959-63
- Reed College, Portland, Oregon, 1963-67, B.A. Physics
- University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1967-75, M.S. & Ph.D, Geophysics
Community Service Organization Memberships
- Chair, Spinach Creek Road Commission
- President, Alaska Alpine Club
- Member of Board of Directors, Play 'N' Learn daycare
- Member, Coalition for Privacy in Pregnancy Decisions
- Member, American Civil Liberties Union
- Member, Northern Alaska Environmental Center
Professional
Before running for office, John was a seismologist, focusing on great earthquakes in the Aleutians and south-central Alaska. He helped create the Alaska Earthquake Information Center and the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
Scientific Positions
- State Seismologist, Geophysical Institute, UAF (1986-1993)
- Geophysicist, Alaska Department of Natural Resources (1981-1986)
- Research Associate, Columbia University (1973-1981)
- Coordinating Scientist, Alaska Volcano Observatory (1989-1993)
- President, Arctic Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1981-1982)
- Director, Alaska Chapter of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (1985-1993?)
- member, National Earthquake Prediction Evaluation Council (1985-1993?)
Political
Alaska House of Representatives, 1993 - present
John Davies has served in the State House of Representatives since 1993, having been elected in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2000. He served on the following committees during the 2001-2002 session:
- House Finance Committee
- House Finance Subcommittee on Environmental Conservation
- House Finance Subcommittee on Natural Resources
- House Finance Subcommittee on University of Alaska
- Joint Committee on Natural Gas Pipelines
For a current and complete list of John's committee assignments, check the Alaska Democrats page.
Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly, 1989-1992
John Davies served as a member of the Borough Assembly for the Fairbanks North Star Borough, acting as Co-Chair of Finance, and as Deputy Presiding Officer.