Jacob G. Davies (May 29, 1796 – December 7, 1857) was an American politician. He served as

Mayor of Baltimore The mayor of Baltimore is the head of the executive branch of the government of the City of Baltimore, Maryland. The Mayor has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills, ordinances, or resolutions passed by the ...

for two terms, from 1844 to 1848.

Early life

Jacob G. Davies was born on May 29, 1796, in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Career

Davies volunteered during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

and participated in the

Battle of Bladensburg The Battle of Bladensburg was a battle of the Chesapeake campaign of the War of 1812, fought on 24 August 1814 at Bladensburg, Maryland, northeast of Washington, D.C. Called "the greatest disgrace ever dealt to American arms," a British force ...

. Afterward, he received a commission as a lieutenant in the cavalry of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. He entered the mercantile business. He joined the militia and became a brigade major. He was then promoted to colonel in the Second Regiment of cavalry in the militia. He retired, but returned to duty after a mob threat in 1835. He was placed in command of the City Guards cavalry and became the colonel of the Fifty-third Regiment of volunteer militia. He held that role until 1851. He was also president of an insurance company. Davies was 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 ...

. He ran against his cousin James O. Law for

. He defeated his cousin by a margin of 498 votes and served as

from November 4, 1844, to November 18, 1848, serving two terms. During his administration, the city was divided into twenty different

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

. There were numerous public works projects completed in Baltimore, supporting the coal trade of the time, including the Locust Point extension of the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

(despite an initial veto by Davies in 1845), iron bridges over Harford Run and

Jones Falls The Jones Falls is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 stream in Maryland. It is impounded to create Lake Roland before running through the city of Baltim ...

, and the site of Franklin Square was purchased and developed. Davies was appointed postmaster of Baltimore by President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

. He served as postmaster until April 1, 1857.

Personal life

Davies married Sarah Glen. They had four children. After his death, she married Chancellor Theodoric Bland, Consul to Brazil. Davies died on December 7, 1857, in his home near Baltimore. He was buried in the family vault at St. Paul's Cemetery in Baltimore.

References

Notes

External links

Ordinances and resolutions of the mayor and City Council of Baltimore (1845)

Ordinances and resolutions of the mayor and City Council of Baltimore (1846)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Jacob G. 1796 births 1857 deaths People from Baltimore People from Maryland in the War of 1812 Mayors of Baltimore