Thomas Davis (Rhode Island)

Thomas Davis
Member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives
In office 1887–1890
Member of the Rhode Island Senate from the district
In office 1845 – 1853 1877–1878
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island's 1st district
In office March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855
Preceded by	George Gordon King
Succeeded by	Nathan B. Durfee
Personal details
Born	December 18, 1806 Dublin, Ireland
Died	July 26, 1895 (aged 88) Providence, Rhode Island, US
Resting place	Swan Point Cemetery Providence, Rhode Island
Nationality	Irish-American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Eliza Chase Paulina Kellogg Wright Davis (1849-1876)
Occupation	Manufacturer Politician Abolitionist
Committees	Providence school committee

Thomas Davis (December 18, 1806 – July 26, 1895) was an Irish-American manufacturer, politician and abolitionist. He was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and served in the Rhode Island State Senate and the Rhode Island House of Representatives.

Early life and education

Davis was born in Dublin, Ireland, where he attended private schools. In 1817, he emigrated with his family to the United States and they settled in Providence, Rhode Island. In Providence, he engaged in jewelry manufacturing and became quite wealthy.

Political career

He became involved in politics and was a member of the Rhode Island State Senate from 1845 to 1853.^[1] Davis was elected to the Thirty-third Congress, and served from March 4, 1853 to March 3, 1855.^[2] While in Congress, he was outspoken about his disapproval of the Missouri Compromise.^[3] In 1854, he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Thirty-fourth Congress, and returned to his manufacturing pursuits.

Davis hoped to return to Congress, and was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Thirty-sixth, Forty-second, Forty-third, and Forty-sixth Congresses.^[4] He served in the State Senate again in 1877 and 1878,^[5] and was a member of the State House from 1887-1890.

He was an abolitionist and was against the real estate requirement for voting that Rhode Island imposed upon naturalized citizens.^[6][7] Davis was on the North Providence, Rhode Island executive school committee,^[8] and was a member of the Rhode Island Historical Society.^[9]

Death and legacy

Davis died in Providence on July 26, 1895 and is interred in Swan Point Cemetery.^[10]

In 2003, he was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.^[11]

Family life

Davis' first wife was Eliza Chase.^[12] Following Eliza's death, he married abolitionist, suffragist, and educator Paulina Kellogg Wright Davis in 1849.^[13][14] The couple adopted two daughters, and remained together until Paulina's death in 1876.^[15]

References

1. United States. Government Printing Office (1918). Congressional serial set. U.S. G.P.O. p. 596.
2. Douglas, Frederick (2009). The Frederick Douglass Papers: 1842-1852. Yale University Press. p. 27.
3. Rhode Island Historical Society (1896). Publications of the Rhode Island Historical Society, Volume 4. The Societu. p. 53.
4. United States. Government Printing Office (1918). Congressional serial set. U.S. G.P.O. p. 596.
5. Stanton, Elizabeth Cady (2003). The Selected Papers of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony: National protection for national citizens, 1873 to 1880. Rutgers University Press,. p. 254.
6. Conley, Patrick T. and Flanders, Robert J. (2011). The Rhode Island State Constitution. Oxford University Press. p. 132.
7. "Congressman Thomas Davis". Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
8. Bicknell, T.W. and Stockwell, T.B. (1871). The Rhode Island Schoolmaster, Volume 17. Providence Press Company. p. 29.
9. Arnold, James N. (1996). The Narragansett Historical Register. Heritage Books. p. 126.
10. Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried: A Directory Containing More Than Twenty Thousand Names of Notable Persons Buried in American Cemeteries, with Listings of Many Prominent People who Were Cremated. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 296.
11. "Congressman Thomas Davis". Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
12. Douglas, Frederick (2009). The Frederick Douglass Papers: 1842-1852. Yale University Press. p. 27.
13. Danforth, Charolotte (2006). American Heirloom Baby Names. Penguin.
14. Rhode Island Historical Society (1896). Publications of the Rhode Island Historical Society, Volume 4. The Societu. p. 50.
15. James, Edward T. and Wilson, Janet (1971). Notable American Women, 1607-1950: A Biographical Dictionary, Volume 2. Harvard University Press. p. 444.

External links

• Thomas Davis at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.