Charles Henry Davis (also known as Carl Henry Davis) (1865–1951) was an American businessman and

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

. He was the president and co-founder of the National Highways Association. He founded the World Peace Movement.

Early life and education

Charles Henry Davis was born into a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

family. As a youth he lived in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. As an adult he lived and worked in

South Yarmouth, Massachusetts South Yarmouth is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Yarmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,092 at the 2010 census, the most of the three CDPs in Yarmouth. It i ...

. He lived in the House of the Seven Chimneys. Davis was a

yachtsman A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

. He was married three times and fathered six children, all daughters. The House of Seven Chimneys was actually a group of houses and a barn artistically connected with a collective 217 windows and 17 front doors.

Career

Davis' grandfather, Edward Morris, and father, Henry Corbit Davis, were involved in

road construction A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

industry. They started the American Road Machine Company. Davis inherited the company and was president of it. He is responsible for building a United States' first "high-speed"

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

. It ran from

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Mount Vernon, Virginia Mount Vernon is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 12,416 at the 2010 census. Primarily due to its historical significance and natural recreation and beauty, ...

. Davis also owned the Kentenia Mining Company in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. He helped put Henry Ford into business by leasing his Kentucky mines to Ford to allow Ford to have a stable supply of coal to manufacture his automobiles. Ford paid a fixed price for every railcar of coal plus a royalty on each vehicle he manufactured.

National Highway Association

Map of the Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway

Davis founded the National Highway Association (NHA) in 1911 with the motto "Good Roads Everywhere!" The organization focused on promoting national

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

s in the United States. NHA created pamphlets and

map A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes. Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although ...

s of the highway system in the country, which totaled upwards of 50,000 miles worth of road. NHA developed concepts for connecting highway systems with their own team of engineers. The Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway and the Lone Star Road are two examples of proposed national highways that was never executed. The association was based in

and had offices in New York City and Yarmouth. Coleman Dupont Donaldson was a member of the board.

Death and legacy

He died on June 2, 1951, in New York. Davis donated money to

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1911 to fund the founding of a graduate program focused on

highway engineering Highway engineering is an engineering discipline branching from civil engineering that involves the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of roads, bridges, and tunnels to ensure safe and effective transportation of people and ...

. He also founded Columbia's Davis Library of Highway Engineering. He donated $350,000 to create an engineering library at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

in 1936. He funded the research of

Alfred Adler Alfred Adler ( , ; 7 February 1870 – 28 May 1937) was an Austrian medical doctor, psychotherapist, and founder of the school of individual psychology. His emphasis on the importance of feelings of belonging, family constellation and birth order ...

. He was a fan of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

. Davis raised $2 million to fund the creation of a statue of Churchill which would reside on the

Dover Cliffs The White Cliffs of Dover is the region of English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliff face, which reaches a height of , owes its striking appearance to its composition of chalk accented by streaks of black flint, deposi ...

. However, the people of England did not want this statue so it was never given.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Charles Henry 1865 births 1951 deaths Businesspeople from Philadelphia People from Yarmouth, Massachusetts Businesspeople from Massachusetts American construction businesspeople