Gherardi Davis (October 15, 1858 – March 9, 1941) was an American lawyer, book author and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Life

He was born on October 15, 1858 in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, the son of George Henry Davis (1824–1897) and Clara Jane (Gherardi) Davis (1827–1897). Governor of Massachusetts John Davis was his grandfather; Rear Admiral

Bancroft Gherardi Bancroft Gherardi (November 10, 1832 – December 10, 1903) was a rear admiral of the United States Navy, who served during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. Even though his family hailed from French Corsica, because of his ...

was his uncle; and electrical engineer

Bancroft Gherardi, Jr. Bancroft Gherardi Jr. (April 6, 1873 – August 14, 1941) was a noted American electrical engineer, known for his pioneering work in developing the early telephone systems in the United States. Recognized as one of the foremost authorities ...

was his first cousin. In 1868, the family went to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, and Gherardi attended school in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and college in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Career

In 1879, he returned to the United States, and studied law, first in

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, ...

, and then in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He was admitted to the bar, and practiced law in New York City. Davis was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

(New York Co., 27th D.) in

1899 Events January 1899 * January 1 ** Spanish rule ends in Cuba, concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas. ** Queens and Staten Island become administratively part of New York City. * January 2 – **Bolivia sets up a c ...

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

1901 Events January * January 1 – The Crown colony, British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and Western Australia Federation of Australia, federate as the Australia, ...

and

1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's f ...

; and was Chairman of the Committee on Public Lands and Forestry in 1902. On March 20, 1903, he was appointed as Third Deputy

New York City Police Commissioner The New York City Police Commissioner is the head of the New York City Police Department and presiding member of the Board of Commissioners. The commissioner is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the mayor. The commissioner is responsib ...

Sailing

In 1910, he became interested in sailing boats. He competed in

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

s with his yacht ''Alice'', and won many prizes.

Personal life

On April 7, 1894, he married Alice King (1860–1920), daughter of State Senator

John A. King John Alsop King (January 3, 1788July 7, 1867) was an American politician who was Governor of New York from 1857 to 1858. Life John Alsop King was born in the area now encompassed by New York City on January 3, 1788, to U.S. Senator Rufus King ( ...

. Gherardi and Alice Davis published several works on

military standard In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours (or colors), standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt som ...

s. He died on March 9, 1941, in the Harkness Pavilion of the

Columbia–Presbyterian Medical Center The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is a nonprofit academic medical center in New York City affiliated with two Ivy League medical schools, Cornell University and Columbia University. The hospital comprises seven distinct campuses located in the New Y ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

.''GHERARDI DAVIS, 83, LAWYER, CIVIC AIDE''
in the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' on March 10, 1941 (subscription required)

Works

''Fahnen und Standarten aus dem Kriege von 1870–71''
(New York, 1901)
''Regimental Colors in the War of the Revolution''
(privately printed at the Gilliss Press; New York; 1907)
''Regimental Colors of the German Armies in the War of 1870–1871''
(privately printed at the Gilliss Press, New York, 1911)
''The Gospels – by a Layman''
(printed at the Gilliss Press; New York; 1916)

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Gherardi 1858 births 1941 deaths Writers from Manhattan Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly Writers from San Francisco Deputy New York City Police Commissioners Gardiner family American military writers American male non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers