Born at the old family homestead in Danielson, Connecticut, on April 25, 1839. At the usual age he began his education by attending the public schools of Danielson and subsequently continued his studies in Killingly in the West Killingly Academy and in the Rhode Island Normal School at Bristol. The liberal education which he thus acquired qualified him for teaching and he followed that profession for several terms in Windham and New London counties in Connecticut. Attracted by the opportunities of the middle west, he made his way to Michigan in 1862 and taught in the schools of Saginaw and Ontonagon. His next step brought him into the field of commercial operation. He entered the employ of the firm of Condon & Holland, of Hancock, Michigan, and soon afterward was given charge of their branch store at Carp Lake, Michigan. Later he purchased the store and removed the stock to Rockland, Michigan, where he disposed of it. In 1866 Mr. Davis arrived in Iowa and taught one term of school in Prairie City. In the spring of 1867 he began general merchandising at Harlan in partnership with his friend, A. G. Vinton, under the firm style of Vinton & Davis. He then disposed of his commercial interests in order to give his entire time and attention to banking. Mr. Davis remained throughout his entire life a student of current events, of the signs of the times, and the questions of the day and a conversation with him displayed a mind trained in the severest school of investigation and to which close reasoning had become habitual and easy. He was not rash in forming his opinions but on the contrary gave earnest consideration to each question which came up for settlement. This was manifested in his legislative career, when in 1884 he was called to represent Pottawattamie county in the Twentieth General Assembly. He never faltered in expressing his opinions upon any question of public moment and was ever loyal to his belief. He labored for the interests of the commonwealth and for his home locality as well and was foremost in encouraging and advancing every enterprise that in any way helped to make the city of his residence more prosperous and more progressive. He was married on the 24th of May, 1874, to Miss May Benham of Cascade, Dubuque county, Iowa. In July, 1857, Mr. Davis joined the Westfield Congregational church of Danielson, Connecticut, and during the early days of his residence in Harlan he became affiliated with the Masonic fraternity.
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