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Biography
Harvey Justin Davidson (November 15, 1930 – October 28, 1999) was an American educator, the sixth Dean of the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University and Dean of the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University. Davidson was only thirty-eight years old when appointed the sixth dean of Johnson Graduate School of Management and served from 1968 to 1979. He was the first not to be an academic. Davidson served as Dean of the Fisher College of Business from 1979 to 1989. He died in Columbus, Ohio on October 28, 1999.
He was born to Harvey H. and Dorothy (Eberhardt) Davidson in Gentryville, Indiana; both were educators and his father coached basketball. Almost 1,000 people attended his funeral. His great-great uncle, Aaron Grigsby, was married to Sarah Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's sister.
Davidson was married to Shirlee Ploeger Davidson (1930–2007) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Both were graduates of Carnegie Mellon University. They had four children, Charles Justin (Susan Ludford) Davidson of Philadelphia, John Clinton Davidson of San Francisco, James Christopher (Debbie Lathrop) Davidson of Washington, DC and Jennifer Davidson (Brian) Jaffe of Traverse City.