| Stuart C. Davidson | |
| Birth Name: | Stuart Carleton Davidson |
| Birth Date: | 9 September 1922 |
| Birth Place: | Dayton, Ohio, United States |
| Death Place: | Oslo, Norway |
| Spouse: | Sally Davidson |
| Nationality: | American |
| Occupation: | Businessman |
| Years Active: | 1963 - 2001 |
Stuart C. Davidson (September 9, 1922 – August 1, 2001) was an American businessman known for being the founder of the Clyde's of Georgetown restaurant in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., and the Clyde's Restaurant Group which owns and operates multiple restaurants in the Washington metropolitan area.
Davidson was born in Dayton, Ohio, and grew up in Washington, D.C., graduating from St. Albans School.[1] He attended Harvard College, with a two-year break during World War II when he served as a United States Army Air Forces pilot.[2] He also earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and worked as an investment banker for Kidder, Peabody & Co. and Wertheim & Co.[1] [2]
In 1963, Davidson opened Clyde's in Georgetown, shortly after the liquor laws in Washington, D.C., were loosened to permit service of hard liquor to patrons standing at bars.[1] [2] The restaurant was immediately profitable, and Davidson partnered with a former Clyde's dishwasher, John G. Laytham, to expand the business to Clyde's Restaurant Group, opening five more Clyde's restaurants, purchasing the Old Ebbitt Grill, and opening several more restaurants in the Washington metropolitan area.[1] [2]
Davidson died of complications from acute myeloid leukemia at a hospital in Oslo, Norway, on August 1, 2001.[1] [2]