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Henry G. Davis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Henry Gassaway Davis (November 16, 1823 – March 11, 1916) was a politician from West Virginia and was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President in 1904. Brother of Thomas Beall Davis
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Born near Woodstock, Maryland, Davis worked on a farm until 1843, when he began to work for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as a brakeman and conductor. Later he was put in charge of the Piedmont, West Virginia terminal of the railroad, and soon went into coal mining and banking in Piedmont.
In 1865 he was elected a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1866, Piedmont having become a part of the new state, and became a state senator in 1869. In 1871, he was elected to the United States Senate, serving two terms, with his service ending in 1883.
Following his service in the Senate, Davis retired to Elkins, West Virginia, where he resumed banking and coal mining. Davis represented the U.S. at the Pan-American Conferences of 1889 and 1901.
In 1904, Davis became the Democratic nominee for Vice President on a ticket with Alton B. Parker. Parker and Davis lost to the Republican ticket of Theodore Roosevelt and Charles Fairbanks. At age 80, Davis was (and is) the oldest person to be nominated for President or Vice President on a major party ticket.
Davis in his last years acted as chairman of the permanent Pan American Railway Committee (1901-1916). He died in Washington, DC at age 92. Davis also donated land to build Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia.
| Preceded by Waitman T. Willey |
United States Senator (Class 2) from West Virginia 1871–1883 Served alongside: Arthur I. Boreman, Allen T. Caperton, Samuel Price, Frank Hereford, Johnson N. Camden |
Succeeded by John E. Kenna |
| Preceded by Adlai E. Stevenson |
Democratic Party Vice Presidential candidate 1904 (lost) |
Succeeded by John W. Kern |
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Class 1: Van Winkle • Boreman • Caperton • Price • Hereford • Camden • Faulkner • Scott • Chilton • Sutherland • Neely • Hatfield • Holt • Kilgore • Laird • Revercomb • Byrd |
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This article about a West Virginia politician is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
Categories: West Virginia politician stubs | 1823 births | 1916 deaths | Mineral County, West Virginia | West Virginia State Senators | Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates | Democratic Party (United States) vice presidential nominees | United States Senators from West Virginia | Democratic Party (West Virginia)