John Davis (January 25, 1761 – January 14, 1847) was a delegate to the Massachusetts convention to ratify the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

, Comptroller for the United States Department of the Treasury, United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Education and career

Born on January 25, 1761, in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, Province of Massachusetts Bay,

British America British America comprised the colonial territories of the English Empire, which became the British Empire after the 1707 union of the Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, in the Americas from 16 ...

, Davis graduated from Harvard University in 1781 and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in 1786. He was a delegate to the Massachusetts convention to ratify the

in 1788. He was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He was a member of the Massachusetts Senate in 1795. He was Comptroller for the United States Department of the Treasury from 1795 to 1796. He was the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts from 1796 to 1801.

Federal judicial service

Davis was nominated by President John Adams on February 18, 1801, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts vacated by Judge John Lowell. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 20, 1801, and received his commission the same day. On March 4, 1813, he swore in

Elbridge Gerry Elbridge Gerry (; July 17, 1744 – November 23, 1814) was an American Founding Father, merchant, politician, and diplomat who served as the fifth vice president of the United States under President James Madison from 1813 until his death in 18 ...

as Vice President of the United States at Elbridge's home in Massachusetts. His service terminated on July 10, 1841, due to his resignation.

Death

Davis died on January 14, 1847, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Memberships

Davis was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1792, Davis was also elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1813.American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
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References

Sources