By 1939 Davis moved onto radio when asked to fill in for a regular announcer that had gone to Europe covering events. The radio audience instantly was captivated by his easy going voice and was soon reporting nightly. Edward R Murrow once stated that the reason Elmer Davis was so successful so quick was due to his Indiana voice.. The irony here is that Davis would receive a couple of Peabody awards during the course of his career placing him as a peer to Murrow. In 1941, the government asked Davis to become head of the War Departments Information Division.
Davis left a high paying radio position to handle this government position thus displaying his patriotic stand. After the war, Elmer Davis returned to radio and stayed involved in commenting on politics. One of his points of contention were the McCarthy Communist witch hunts. Davis never failed at expressing himself when the need arose. He passed away in the spring of 1958. The news world lost an informed and intelligent voice of reporting the facts.
