John Davis (politician, 1787)

John Davis

John Davis (born January 13, 1787 in Northborough , Worcester County , Massachusetts , † April 19, 1854 in Worcester , Massachusetts) was an American politician and between 1834 and 1843 two times governor of the state of Massachusetts. He also represented his state in both chambers of Congress .

Early years

John Davis attended the Leicester Academy and then studied at Yale University until 1812 . After a subsequent law degree and his admission to the bar in 1815, he began to work in Worcester as a lawyer.

Political advancement and governor of Massachusetts

Between March 4, 1825 and January 14, 1834, Davis represented his state as a member of the US House of Representatives . During this time he became a member of the newly formed Whig Party . After he was elected the new governor of Massachusetts in 1833, he stepped down from Congress. He took up his new office on January 2, 1834 and was elected to a second term in the same year. During his tenure, Massachusetts roads were expanded, industry promoted, and constitutional reform prepared.

Davis in the US Senate

After John Davis was elected to succeed Nathaniel Silsbee in the US Senate , he resigned as governor. This post was taken on by Lieutenant Governor Samuel Armstrong . Between March 4, 1835 and January 5, 1841 Davis remained a member of this body; there he was, among other things, chairman of the trade committee. After he had been re-elected governor of his state on November 9, 1840, he resigned as US Senator on January 5, 1841. Between January 7, 1841 and January 17, 1843, Davis served two relatively uneventful terms as governor of Massachusetts. After the death of US Senator Isaac C. Bates , who had taken over from Davis in 1841, Davis was re-elected as his successor to the Senate. After being re-elected, he was able to exercise this mandate between March 24, 1845 and March 3, 1853. In 1852 he decided not to be re-elected.

Another résumé

After serving in Washington, DC , Davis retired from politics. He died in April 1854. With his wife, Eliza Bancroft, he had five children, including their son Horace (1831–1916), who was a congressman for California.

Web links

• John Davis in the National Governors Association (English)
• John Davis in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• John Davis in the database of Find a Grave (English)