{{Short description|First Lady of California from 1999 to 2003}} {{Other people}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = Sharon Davis.jpg | image_size = | birth_name = Sharon Ryer | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1954|5|6}} | birth_place = Brentwood, Los Angeles, U.S. | profession = Writer, activist | office1 = First Lady of California | governor1 = Gray Davis | term_label1 = In role | term_start1 = January 4, 1999 | term_end1 = November 17, 2003 | predecessor1 = Gayle Wilson | successor1 = Maria Shriver | office2 = Second Lady of California | governor2 = Gray Davis | term_label2 = In role | term_start2 = January 2, 1995 | term_end2 = January 4, 1999 | predecessor2 = Jacqueline McCarthy | successor2 = Arcelia Bustamante | party = Democratic | spouse = {{marriage|Gray Davis|1980}} | children = | relations = | signature = }} '''Sharon Ryer Davis''' (born May 6, 1954) is an American author who served as first lady of California from 1999 to 2003. She is the wife of former California governor Gray Davis. She previously served as second lady of California from 1995 to 1999. Davis is also a former Miss Santee and the author of the children's book, ''The Adventures of Capitol Kitty''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://firstladies.library.ca.gov/34-Davis.html |title=First Ladies of California |access-date=2010-06-13 |archive-date=2013-01-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122054052/http://firstladies.library.ca.gov/34-Davis.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>Ainsworth, Bill. ''It's her policy to be involved:Sharon Davis plans to be player in education issues'' ''The San Diego Union - Tribune''. San Diego, Calif.: Jan 4, 1999. pg. A.1</ref>
==Early life== Davis attended Santana High School in Santee, California. While there, she entered the Miss Santee contest and won. Shortly after high school she began working at Pacific Southwest Airlines as a flight attendant.<ref>Lescher, Dave. ''Sharon Davis, From Santee to Sacramento, California's new leading lady''. ''Los Angeles Times''. Los Angeles, Calif.: Jan 1, 1999. pg. 1</ref>
==Marriage== Sharon met Gray Davis in 1979 while he was Chief of Staff for then California Governor Jerry Brown.{{Citation needed|date=September 2017}}
==First Lady of California== As First Lady, Davis was active in children's health and education, especially literacy, creating the Governor's Book Fund, which provided funds for school libraries. She wrote a children's book titled ''The Adventures of Capitol Kitty'' to help pay for the fund. She eventually helped raise 750,000 dollars.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://firstladies.library.ca.gov/34-Davis.html |title=First Ladies of California |access-date=2010-06-13 |archive-date=2013-01-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122054052/http://firstladies.library.ca.gov/34-Davis.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> During the 2000 United States presidential election, her husband was rumored to be a potential vice presidential running mate for Al Gore, but Davis turned it down,{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} with the position eventually going to Joe Lieberman. Davis was also rumored to be a potential presidential candidate in 2004. She left the office of First Lady in November 2003, after her husband's recall.
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{S-start}} {{s-hon}} {{Succession box|title=First Lady of California|before=Gayle Edlund Wilson |after=Maria Shriver|years=1999–2003}} {{S-end}}
{{Spouses of California Governors}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Sharon}} Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:First ladies and gentlemen of California Category:Second ladies and gentlemen of California Category:American children's writers Category:American beauty pageant winners Category:American health activists Category:California Democrats Category:People from Santee, California Category:American women children's writers Category:People from Brentwood, Los Angeles Category:Activists from California Category:21st-century American women