Romanzo Ellis Davis (April 8, 1831October 31, 1908) was a farmer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Dane County from 1870 through 1877. He was a Republican, who transitioned to the Liberal Republican faction, and eventually became a Democrat.

Background

Davis was born on April 8, 1831, in

Varysburg, New York Varysburg is a village located at the intersection of U.S. Route 20A and New York State Route 98. It is in the eastern portion of the town of Sheldon close to the border with Orangeville in Wyoming County, New York, United States Th ...

. He was raised and educated there, and moved to Attica in Green County, Wisconsin Territory, in 1846 with his parents. He attended the University of Wisconsin for three years, graduating in 1851, and then later spent some time in business in Cole County, Missouri. He returned to Wisconsin in 1861, first to Cross Plains, where he became a farmer and grain merchant. He moved to Middleton in 1856, becoming active in the shipping of produce and grain from 1863 to 1873.

Elective office

Davis was an unsuccessful Independent candidate for the Wisconsin State Assembly's 3rd Dane County district in 1864. In 1869 he was elected as a Republican to the Senate's 26th District (the Dane County Towns of

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

, Black Earth, Blue Mounds, Cross Plains,

Dane Dane or Danes may refer to: People Pertaining to Denmark * Dane, somebody from Denmark * Danes, an ethnic group native to Denmark * Danes (Germanic tribe) Other people * Dane (name), a surname and a given name (and a list of people with the nam ...

, Fitchburg, Maxomanie, Middleton, Montrose, Perry, Primrose,

Roxbury Roxbury may refer to: Places ;Canada * Roxbury, Nova Scotia * Roxbury, Prince Edward Island ;United States * Roxbury, Connecticut * Roxbury, Kansas * Roxbury, Maine * Roxbury, Boston, a municipality that was later integrated into the city of Bosto ...

, Springdale, Verona, Vermont and Westport). He was re-elected in 1871. In 1873 he changed his affiliation to Liberal Republican, and was re-elected with 2,019 votes to 1,668 for Republican Assemblyman Phineas Baldwin. He was re-elected once more in 1875 as a member of the Liberal Reform Party, a short-lived coalition of

Democratic 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 ...

, reform and Liberal Republicans, and

Grangers The Grange, officially named The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, is a social organization in the United States that encourages families to band together to promote the economic and political well-being of the community and ...

, receiving 2,662 votes against 1,667 for Republican Assemblyman

Sereno W. Graves Sereno W. Graves (October 11, 1810 – February 13, 1899) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Graves was born in Berkshire, Vermont. He was a colonel in the Vermont state militia in 1836. He married Malindy Blakerly in 1841; she ...

. In 1877, Davis was the

nominee (the Liberal Reform coalition having collapsed) for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, but lost his race (although he did better than any other Democratic candidate for state office) to

James M. Bingham James M. Bingham (February 3, 1828January 8, 1885) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. He served as the 13th lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, the 20th speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and the 13th mayor of Chippewa Falls, ...

. The next year, he was the Democratic nominee for the United States House of Representatives in

Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in southern Wisconsin, covering Dane County, Iowa County, Lafayette County, Sauk County and Green County, as well as portions of ...

. He lost to incumbent Lucien B. Caswell, a Republican, who polled 12,607 votes to Davis' 9502 and Greenback

Horace A. Tenney Horace Addison Tenney (February 22, 1820March 13, 1906) was an American lawyer, newspaper editor, and Republican politician. He served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing north-central Dane County, and was a regent of the Uni ...

's 2,376 (Tenney was a former Republican Assemblyman). He was succeeded in the Senate by Matthew Anderson, also a Democrat. He also served on the board of trustees for the Wisconsin Hospital for the Insane through April 1879.

After the Senate

Davis opened a general store in Middleton in 1879, which he operated until retiring in 1887. He was active in the International Order of Odd Fellows and as a

Freemason 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 ...

. Davis died in 1908 and is buried in Middleton.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1869, 1871, 1873, 1875)

Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor (1877)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 6, 1877

U.S. House of Representatives (1878)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 1878

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Romanzo 1831 births 1908 deaths Farmers from Wisconsin Businesspeople from Wisconsin People from Cole County, Missouri People from Middleton, Wisconsin People from Wyoming County, New York University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Wisconsin Liberal Republicans Wisconsin state senators Wisconsin Reformers (19th century) 19th-century American legislators Wisconsin Republicans Wisconsin Independents Wisconsin Democrats People from Green County, Wisconsin 19th-century Wisconsin politicians