Fred Henry Davis (May 18, 1894 – June 20, 1937) was an American attorney and politician from the state of Florida, serving as Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court of Florida The Supreme Court of Florida is the highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven members: the chief justice and six justices. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geographic diversity, and one ...

from 1933 until 1935.

Early life and military service

Davis was born on May 18, 1894, in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

, though he settled in Tallahassee, Florida, with his family at an early age. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1914 and became a practicing attorney in Wakulla County, Florida. In 1917, Davis, a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, became the Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. He resigned the same year to enlist in the

Florida Army National Guard The Florida Army National Guard is Florida's component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. In the United States, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the federal army's available combat forces ...

, serving as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

with the 124th Infantry during World War I, though he did not go overseas with the

American Expeditionary Force The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...

. On December 10, 1918, Davis was discharged from the United States Army and was sent to Camp Hancock, near Augusta, Georgia, to begin his officers' training. Davis quickly worked his way up the ranks, becoming a lieutenant and later a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the Army Reserve Corps. Davis commanded Company M of the 124th Infantry, which, in 1924, was designated as the

Governor's Guards The Governor's Guards of Connecticut are four distinct units of the Connecticut State Guard, a part of the organized militia under the Connecticut State Militia. There are two foot guard units and two horse guard units. All four units are formed ...

, a historic infantry unit dating back to the Third Seminole War. Davis retired from the military in 1927.

Political career

After his return to Florida from Camp Hancock in 1919, Davis was appointed as the Prosecuting Attorney for

Leon County, Florida Leon County is a county in the Panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. It was named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. As of the 2020 census, the population was 292,198. The county seat is Tallahassee, which is also the state cap ...

, by Governor Sidney Johnson Catts. In 1920, Davis was elected to the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

, representing Leon County. He was re-elected in 1922 and 1924. Davis also served as the special counsel for the

Florida Railroad Commission The Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC) regulates investor-owned electric, natural gas, and water and wastewater utilities. The FPSC facilitates competitive markets in the telecommunications industry, has authority over intercarrier disputes ...

in 1925 He was re-elected to the Florida House in 1926 and was selected

Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives The speaker is the presiding member of the Florida House of Representatives. The Speaker and his staff provide direction and coordination to employees throughout the House and serve the members in carrying out their constitutional responsibilitie ...

in 1927. He would only serve for a few months, however, as he was appointed the 24th Florida Attorney General on June 4, 1927, by Governor John W. Martin, finishing the term of J. B. Johnson, who had been appointed to a state circuit court. Davis was elected to a full term in 1928. On March 9, 1931, Governor

Doyle E. Carlton Doyle Elam Carlton, Sr. (July 6, 1885 – October 25, 1972) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 25th Governor of the state of Florida from 1929 to 1933. Early life Doyle Elam Carlton, the son of Albert and Martha Winfield McE ...

appointed Davis to the Supreme Court of Florida. Davis was selected as Chief Justice on January 10, 1933, serving in that role until January 8, 1935. He continued to serve on the bench until his death in 1937.

Personal life

In 1921, Davis married Frances M. Chambers. They had two daughters Marilyn and Hazel D. Davis was a practicing Methodist. He was a member of many

veterans' organization A veterans' organization, also known as an en-GB, ex-service organisation, label=none, is an organization composed of persons who served in a country's armed forces, especially those who served in the armed forces during a period of war. The organ ...

s, including the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

, the Military Order of the World Wars, the

Reserve Officers Association The ROA (d/b/a Reserve Organization of America) is a professional association of commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers, former officers, enlisted and spouses of the uniformed services of the United States, primarily with the Reserve an ...

, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Additionally, Davis was also a member of several

fraternal order A fraternal order is a fraternity organised as an order, with traits alluding to religious, chivalric or pseudo-chivalric orders, guilds, or secret societies. Contemporary fraternal orders typically have secular purposes, including social, cult ...

s, namely the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

, the

Shriners Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

, Elks, Lions, Odd Fellows, and Phi Alpha Delta.

Death

On June 20, 1937, Davis died of a sudden heart attack while on a visit to Jacksonville, Florida. He is buried in Tallahassee's Old City Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Fred Henry Florida Attorneys General Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Justices of the Florida Supreme Court 1894 births 1937 deaths 20th-century American judges People from Greenville, South Carolina People from Tallahassee, Florida Florida National Guard personnel Military personnel from Florida American military personnel of World War I National Guard (United States) officers Assistant United States Attorneys Methodists from Florida American Freemasons Knights Templar Chief Justices of the Florida Supreme Court