Family History - Julius Richard ‘Dixie’ Davis
| Key: | 1. | “+” before a child’s name indicates the child has their own entry in the next generation. |
| 2. | “born xxxx” indicates the child is under 18 years of age so the birth date is not shown. |
A brief biography of Dixie Davis (born Julius Richard Davis) appears in WikiPedia.org (with corrections and additions as noted):10
Davis was born in New York City in 1905 [sic, actually 1904] and grew up in Tannersville, New York after his father, a tailor named Davidowitz, relocated the family to the Catskills. Davis attended Syracuse University Law School and was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1927. He served a clerkship, and then started his own firm in New York City specializing in defending mobsters.
Many of Davis’ clients were African-Americans involved in the numbers game in Harlem. In 1932 he decided that he could take control and brought in Dutch Schultz [born Arthur Simon Flegenheimer] as enforcer only to lose control to Schultz.
With the murder of Schultz in 1935, Davis took over his numbers racket. On July 14, 1937 a grand jury indicted Davis for racketeering. In exchange for his cooperation, Davis was sentenced to one year in prison and was disbarred.
On December 31, 1969, Dixie Davis died of a heart attack in his home in Bel-Air, California during a break-in. Two masked gunmen had bound his wife [Hope Dare, born Rosie Luetzsinger] and grandson and had stolen jewels, furs and cash.
Davis was married twice. His first wife was Martha Delaney. While Davis was incarcerated for racketeering, he was permitted several times to leave prison and visit Hope Dare, whom he had met several years before, and lived with at least as early as 1935. Hope was the catalyst for persuading Dixie to turn states evidence on his mob associates. Davis’ wife Martha knew of his infidelity, and divorced him in 1938. Once out of prison, Davis married Hope and together they moved west, living in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and later Los Angeles, having two children together.11
Rosie listed 9 October 1908, and Ottumwa, Iowa, as her birth date and place in her social security application, the date agreeing with her age (1 year 7 months) as shown in the 1900 U.S. Federal Census, where she is found living in Iowa with her maternal grandparents. She was known as Rosie McCarty, her mother’s maiden surname, in her school years. After her mother remarried to Gerald Buxton, Rosie was returned to her mother’s household. Rosie was sometimes known as Rosie Buxton, using her step-fathervs surname.2
At age 17, Rosie married David Swing Ricker, promotion manager of a Los Angeles newspaper. With his aid, Rosie sought to get into the movies by way of beauty pageants. She won and was named the prettiest red-head in a Long Beach, California, bathing beauty contest. In 1926 she was chosen “Miss Southern California” and won as “Miss Ocean Park” in a separate California beauty contest. She changed her stage name first to Rose Dare, and later to Hope Dare. Following her husband David’s death in 1929, she headed for New York, working in a road company of “The Barker.” Her Broadway career credits include “Melody” (1933); “Ziegfeld Follies of 1934” (1934); and “Life Begins at 8:40” (1934-35).2, 12
Her beauty and growing fame attracted the attention of J. Richard “Dixie” Davis, a New York lawyer and racketeer who was the number two man to Dutch Schultz. Hope and Dixie soon became an item, although Dixie was still married at the time. When Dixie was apprehended on racketeering charges, Hope convinced Dixie to turn state’s evidence against other mob members, and after he served a one-year sentence, he and Hope married and moved west, living in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and later Los Angeles, where they raised two children.2
Children of Julius Richard ‘Dixie’ Davis and Hope Dare (born Rosie Luetzsinger):
| 2 | i. | Michael Davis. | |
| + | 3 | ii. | Barclay Davis, Married Loretta _____. |
- Find a Grave (website). Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale), Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, Julius Richard “Dixie” Davis, born: 29 November 1904 in New York; died: 30 December 1969 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California (from record, which includes newspaper clippings announcing his marriage to Hope Dare; making his home in New Mexico; and his brief death notice).
- Daily News, New York, New York, 5 March 1939, Hope Dare, Dixie Davis Will Wed, Then Separate, It Seems. The article provides detailed biographical information for both Hope and Dixie, and mentions some of Dixie’s mob associates and his first wife, and Hope’s parents and first husband.
- Divorce, The New York Times, New York, New York, 10 December 1938, Divorces ‘Dixie’ Davis; Former Martha Delaney in Reno Suit Charges Cruelty. The article indicates Mrs. Martha Delaney Davis obtained a divorce today from J. Richard Davis.
- Find a Grave (website). Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale), Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, Hope Dare Davis, born: 9 October 1909 [sic, her entry in the 1910 census shows her age 1 year 7 months, indicating she was born in 1908, believed to be the correct birth year] in Fairfield, Jefferson County, Iowa; died: 31 March 1999 in Henderson, Clark County, Nevada (from record, which includes two newspaper clippings of with her husband J. Richard Davis; and provides a brief synopsis of her life, indicating her birth name, naming her parents, supposed marriage to a man named Reichert [actually, Ricker], her name change to Hope Dare in 1930, work as a showgirl in Zeigfield Follies, marriage to J. Richard “Dixie” Davis, and several places where she lived; and the names and links for her mother and one spouse).
- National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), Social Security Applications, Rose Luetzsinger Davis, born: 9 October 1908 in Ottumwa, Iowa; father: William J. Luetzsinger; mother: Sarah H. McCarty. Since this application was most likely completed by Rose (aka Hope Dare Davis), it is considered the most reliable record of her birth date, birthplace, and parent’s names.
- U.S. Federal Census, 1910, Iowa, Jefferson County, Round Prairie Township, E.D. 55, Sheet No. 7B, Ross O. McCarty, 55, Kentucky, farmer, general farm; wife of 27 years Rosa McCarty, 45, Pennsylvania, 5 children, 3 living; daughter Sarah Luetzinger [the last name is written over the line intended to continue the McCarty name down to other family members], 21, Iowa, married 3 years; son Anthony McCarty, 14, Iowa; son Ross McCarty, 9, Iowa; granddaughter Rosa Lietzinger, 1 7/12, Iowa.
- U.S. Federal Census, 1920, New Mexico, San Miguel County, Las Vegas City, E.D. 176, Sheet No. 2B, Gerald Buxton, 45, Michigan, fireman, round house; wife Dollie Buxton, 31, Iowa; son Gerald Buxton, Jr., 7, New Mexico; step-daughter Rose Luetzsinger, 11, Iowa.
- Obituary, Los Angeles Times, California, 2 May 1999, Hope Dare Davis, died 31 March 1999, predeceased by husband Richard Dixie Davis. The article provides brief biographical details and the names of her children, grandchild, and great grandchildren, and place of funeral.
- Marriage Announcement, The New London Evening Day, New London, Connecticut, 7 August 1939, ‘Dixie’ Davis and Hope Dare on Honeymoon. The article indicates they married the previous day in Nyack [New York] after serving a prison sentence, and provides biographical information regarding his association with the Dutch Shultz mob as their attorney, and his testimony leading to the conviction of ex-Tammany district leader James J. Hines.
- wikipedia.org, Wikipedia contributors. “Dixie Davis.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 22 Oct. 2019. Web. 15 Oct. 2020.
- wikipedia.org, Wikipedia contributors. “Dixie Davis.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 22 Oct. 2019. Web. 15 Oct. 2020. Life Magazine (available at books.google.com), 15 August 1939, page 42, The Strange Case of Hope Dare.
- Travalance (website: travsd.wordpress.com), Hope Dare Davis: Follies Girl and Gun Moll. Biographical details of Hope Dare, her theatrical career, and her relationship and marriage to J. Richard “Dixie” Davis.