John Davis (Massachusetts Governor)

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix =
name = John Davis
honorific-suffix =


imagesize = 200px
caption = John Davis (taken between 1844 and 1860)
jr/sr = Class 2 Senator
state = Massachusetts
term_start = March 4, 1835
term_end = January 5, 1841
March 24, 1845 – March 3, 1853
predecessor = Nathaniel Silsbee
Isaac C. Bates
successor = Isaac C. Bates
Edward Everett
alongside = Daniel Webster, Robert C. Winthrop, Robert Rantoul, Jr., Charles Sumner
order2 = 14^th & 17^th
office2 = Governor of Massachusetts
term_start2 = January 9, 1834
term_end2 = March 1, 1835
January 7, 1841 – January 17, 1843
lieutenant2 = Samuel Turell Armstrong
George Hull
predecessor2 = Levi Lincoln, Jr.
Marcus Morton
successor2 = Samuel Turell Armstrong
Marcus Morton
state3 =
district3 = 5^th
term_start3 = March 4, 1825
term_end3 = January 14, 1834
preceded3 = Jonas Sibley
succeeded3 = Levi Lincoln, Jr.
birth_date = birth date|1787|01|13
birth_place = Northborough, Massachusetts
death_date = death date and age|1854|04|19|1787|01|13
death_place = Worcester, Massachusetts
restingplace = Rural Cemetery
restingplacecoordinates =
nationality = American
party = Whig
National Republican
otherparty =
spouse = Eliza Bancroft
relations = John Davis (father), Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. (great-great grandson)
children = John Chandler Bancroft Davis, Horace Davis
residence =
alma_mater = Yale College
occupation =
profession = Law
net worth =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

John Davis (January 13, 1787 – April 19, 1854) was an American lawyer, businessman and politician.

Early life

John Davis was born on January 13, 1787 in Northborough, Massachusetts. He graduated from Yale College in 1812, where he was one of the four founding members of the Skull and Dagger secret society.

Career

Early career

Following his graudation Davis went on to practice law in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Political career

Davis represented Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd Congress to January 14 1834, when he resigned, having been elected Governor.

He served as the Whig Governor of Massachusetts from 1834 to 1835. Elected as an Anti-Jacksonian (later Whig) to the United States Senate and served in the 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th Congress to January 5 1841, when he resigned. He chaired the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce in 1835 and 1836.

Business career

In 1844, Mr. Davis, his nephew, and several friends founded the State Mutual Life Assurance Company of Worcester, one of only five life insurance companies in the 26 United States. [cite news |first= |last= |coauthors= |title=John Davis (1787-1854) |date= |publisher= |url=http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=mg2terminal&L=7&L0=Home&L1=State+Government&L2=About+Massachusetts&L3=Interactive+State+House&L4=History+Resources&L5=Governors+of+Massachusetts&L6=Commonwealth+of+Massachusetts+(1780-1850)&sid=massgov2&b=terminalcontent&f=interactive_statehouse_govs_davis&csid=massgov2 |work= |pages= |accessdate=2008-09-17 |language=]

Later political career

Again he served as Governor of Massachusetts from 1841-1843 and again elected in 1845 to the U.S. Senate, as a Whig, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Isaac C. Bates. He was re-elected in 1847 and served in the 29th, 30th, 31st and 32nd Congress to March 3, 1853 when he declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1852, and retired from public life.

Death

He died in Worcester, Massachusetts on April 19, 1854, aged 67 and was interred in the Rural Cemetery.

Personal life

He married Eliza Bancroft and they were the parents of John Chandler Bancroft Davis and Horace Davis; he was also great-great grandfather of Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.

Eliza Bancroft

Eliza Bancroft was the daughter of distinguished revolutionary soldier, leading Unitarian clergyman and author of a popular life of George Washington Aaron Bancroft. Her brother George Bancroft was an American historian and statesman who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state and at the national level.

ee also

*Davis political family

References

External links

* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7504844 John Davis] at Find A Grave