Charles Russell Davis (September 17, 1849 – July 29, 1930) was a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. He was born in

Pittsfield, Illinois Pittsfield is a city in and the county seat of Pike County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,576 at the 2010 census, an increase from 4,211 in 2000. History Pittsfield was initially settled by settlers from New England. These settl ...

, but moved with his father to

Le Sueur County, Minnesota Le Sueur County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,674. Its county seat is Le Center. Le Sueur County is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul- Bloomington, ...

, in 1854, where he attended the public schools and was also instructed by private tutor. He graduated from a business college in St. Paul, Minnesota. Later he studied law and was admitted to the bar on March 6, 1872, and began his law practice in St. Peter, Minnesota. He was elected city attorney and city clerk of St. Peter (1878 – 1898); served as prosecuting attorney of Nicollet County (1879 – 1889 and 1901 – 1903). He was a captain in the

Minnesota National Guard The Minnesota National Guard is a state-based military force of more than 13,000 soldiers and airmen, serving in 61 communities across the state. Operated in the U.S. state of Minnesota, it is reserve component of the National Guard. The Cons ...

. Elected to the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint ...

in 1889 and 1890; served in the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are h ...

from 1891 – 1895. He was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the 58th, 59th, 60th, 61st, 62nd, 63rd, 64th, 65th, 66th, 67th, and 68th congresses, (March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1925). On April 5, 1917, he was one of 50 representatives who voted against declaring war on Germany. He was chairman of the powerful

Committee on Appropriations The United States House Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives that is responsible for passing appropriation bills along with its Senate counterpart. The bills passed by the Appropriations Commi ...

in the 67th congress, but was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1924. He resumed his law practice 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 in St. Peter, Minnesota. He died in

, at age 80 and was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery, St. Peter.

References

Minnesota Legislators Past and Present
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Charles Russell 1849 births 1930 deaths Minnesota lawyers People from Pittsfield, Illinois Minnesota National Guard personnel Lawyers from Washington, D.C. Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Republican Party Minnesota state senators Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota