'Mr. D' passes the torch

Marc Basnight called Walter Royal Davis "Mr. D" -- never feeling comfortable calling him Walter.

"I looked up to him," said Basnight, the powerful leader of the N.C. Senate. "He was a father. He was a mentor. He was a leader like none other. ... He had a new idea every day."

The relationship between Basnight and the Texas oil millionaire has been the stuff of legend on Jones Street. Since much Senate legislation emerges from behind the closed doors of Democratic caucus meetings, there were always whispers that Davis' fingerprints were on bills.

Basnight said Davis was an important figure in his rise in politics, but that Davis' role in Senate operations was always exaggerated.

Davis, who died last week, grew up on a North Carolina farm and returned home from the Texas oil fields to shower his money on the Tar Heel state, particularly our colleges.

The two first met in 1984, when Basnight, who then operated his own small construction company on the Outer Banks, was running for the state Senate for the first time. Davis picked Basnight up in his long car. Davis was smoking a big, fat cigar, leaving Basnight gasping for air and asking for permission to roll down the window.

It was Mr. Big questioning the younger country boy who was about to make his climb in politics -- and Basnight said he was intimidated. Davis quizzed him at length on public policy issues before bluntly declaring Basnight "dumb" and sending him a subscription to The Economist. Davis later followed up with questions to make sure Basnight read the British public affairs magazine.

Despite the patronizing put-down, Davis knew how to size up people. And he decided that Basnight was going places.

"I watched him grow up," Davis said in an interview several years ago. "I just knew he was going to amount to something. Everybody liked Marc. So I kept my eye on him."

Davis helped finance Basnight's political career. He once lent Basnight $50,000 when his construction company had financial problems. Basnight repaid him.

Davis liked to test Basnight, often prodding the younger man into arguments so Basnight would be forced to defend his position. After one heated argument over a local land transfer tax (Davis didn't favor a referendum, Basnight did), Basnight was sure Davis would never talk to him again.

Basnight said Davis was not a particularly partisan figure, and he was more interested in how state leaders could improve the university system or help the economy than in which party was in control. Davis could open doors that even governors could not, said Basnight. Davis and George W. Bush were old pals from their oil days in Midland, Texas.

"Jesse Helms was his favorite, not Marc Basnight," Basnight said, referring to the former Republican U.S. senator. "He never thought there was much difference between the two [political parties]."

Basnight said Davis was a big-idea man and couldn't have cared less about the state legislature's workings. Davis and Basnight, neither of whom attended college, became major political angels of the 16-campus University of North Carolina system.

In later years, Davis said, his relationship with Basnight evolved from mentor/student to equals.

"I've come up financially, and he's come up politically," Davis said. "I started as his mentor, but now we're parallel."

Basnight said he owes Davis.

"I would not be president of the Senate," Basnight said, "if he had not challenged me and made me think bigger."