Garrett Davis
Garrett Davis | |
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United States Senator from Kentucky | |
In office December 10, 1861 – September 22, 1872 | |
Preceded by | John C. Breckinridge |
Succeeded by | Willis B. Machen |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 8th district | |
In office March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847 | |
Preceded by | James Sprigg |
Succeeded by | Charles S. Morehead |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 12th district | |
In office March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1843 | |
Preceded by | John Chambers |
Succeeded by | District eliminated |
Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives | |
In office 1833-1835 | |
Personal details | |
Born |
Mount Sterling, Kentucky | September 10, 1801
Died |
September 22, 1872 71) Paris, Kentucky | (aged
Nationality | American |
Political party | Whig, Unionist, Democrat |
Profession | Politician, lawyer |
Garrett Davis (September 10, 1801 – September 22, 1872) was a U.S. Senator and Representative from Kentucky.
Born in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, Garrett Davis was the brother of Amos Davis. After completing preparatory studies, Davis was employed in the office of the county clerk of Montgomery County, Kentucky, and afterward of Bourbon County, Kentucky. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1823, whereafter he commenced practice in Paris, Kentucky.
Davis served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1833 to 1835. Afterward, he was elected as a Whig to the United States House of Representatives, serving from March 4, 1839, to March 3, 1847. There he was chairman of the Committee on Territories.
Davis declined to be a candidate for reelection in 1846, but instead resumed the practice of law and also engaged in agricultural pursuits. He refused to reenter politics the next fifteen years. Davis declined the nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky in 1848, and declined the American Party nomination for Governor in 1855 and for the presidency in 1856.
Davis was opposed to secession, however, and supported the Constitutional Union Party ticket of John Bell and Edward Everett in the 1860 presidential election. This convinced him to reenter politics, and he was elected by a Unionist Party position in 1861 to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the expulsion of John C. Breckinridge. He was reelected as a Democrat in 1867 and served from December 10, 1861, until his death in Paris, Kentucky, in 1872. He served as chairman of the Committee on Private Land Claims. He was interred in Paris Cemetery.
Garrett Davis is the namesake of Davis County, Iowa.[1]
Notes
- ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 101.
References
- United States Congress. "Garrett Davis (id: D000099)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Garrett Davis at Find a Grave
- American National Biography, Dictionary of American Biography, United States Congress.
- Memorial Addresses for Garrett Davis. 42nd Cong., 3rd sess. from 1872 to 1873. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1873
United States House of Representatives | ||
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Preceded by John Chambers |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 12th congressional district 1839–1843 (obsolete district) |
Succeeded by Seat lost to redistricting |
Preceded by James Sprigg |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 8th congressional district 1843–1847 |
Succeeded by Charles Morehead |
United States Senate | ||
Preceded by John C. Breckinridge |
U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Kentucky 1861–1872 Served alongside: Lazarus W. Powell, James Guthrie, Thomas C. McCreery, John W. Stevenson |
Succeeded by Willis B. Machen |