Dwight Filley Davis Sr. (July 5, 1879 – November 28, 1945) was an American

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

player and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

. He is best remembered as the founder of the

Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organi ...

international tennis competition. He was the

Assistant Secretary of War The United States Assistant Secretary of War was the second–ranking official within the American Department of War from 1861 to 1867, from 1882 to 1883, and from 1890 to 1940. According to thMilitary Laws of the United States "The act of August 5 ...

from 1923 to 1925 and

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

from 1925 to 1929.

Biography

Dwight Filley Davis was born in St. Louis,

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, on July 5, 1879. His grandfather,

Oliver Dwight Filley Oliver Dwight Filley (May 23, 1806August 21, 1881) was an American businessman, abolitionist, and politician who served as the 16th mayor of St. Louis, Missouri from 1858 to 1861. Early life Filley was born on May 23, 1806 in Bloomfield, Connect ...

, was mayor of St. Louis from 1858 to 1861. A cousin,

Chauncey Ives Filley Chauncey Ives Filley (17 October 1829 - 24 September 1923) was a United States politician active in Missouri. Biography Filley was born in Lansingburg, New York. He received a private and academic education and entered commercial life as a cler ...

, served as mayor of St. Louis from 1863 to 1864. He reached the All-Comers final for the Men's Singles title at the US Championships in

1898 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, B ...

and

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 ...

. He then teamed up with

Holcombe Ward Holcombe Ward (November 23, 1878 – January 23, 1967) was an American tennis player who was active during the last years of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th. He won the U.S. National Championships singles title in 1904 and add ...

and won the Men's Doubles title at the championships for three years in a row from 1899 to 1901. Davis and Ward were also Men's Doubles runners-up at Wimbledon in 1901. Davis also won the American intercollegiate singles championship of 1899 as a student at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

. In 1900 Davis developed the structure for, and donated a silver bowl to go to the winner of, a new international tennis competition designed by him and three others known as the International Lawn Tennis Challenge, which was later renamed the

in his honor. He was a member of the US team that won the first two competitions in

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 ...

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' ...

, and was also the captain of the 1900 team. He participated in the

1904 Summer Olympics The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 29 August to 3 September 1904, as part of an extended ...

. He was eliminated in the second round of the singles tournament. In the doubles tournament he and his partner

Ralph McKittrick Ralph McKittrick (August 17, 1877 – May 4, 1923) was an American golfer and tennis player who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. In 1904 McKittrick was part of the American team which won the silver medal in the team golf event. He finishe ...

lost in the quarter-finals. He was inducted into the National Tennis Hall of Fame (now known as the

International Tennis Hall of Fame The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It honors both players and other contributors to the sport of tennis. The complex, the former Newport Casino, includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indo ...

) in 1956 in recognition of his contributions to the sport both as a player and an administrator.

Political service

Davis was educated at

Washington University Law School Washington University in St. Louis School of Law (WashULaw) is the law school of Washington University in St. Louis, a private university in St. Louis, Missouri. WashULaw has consistently ranked among the top law schools in the country; it is c ...

, though he was never a practicing attorney. He was, however, politically active in his home town of St. Louis and served as the city's public parks commissioner from 1911 to 1915. During his tenure, he expanded athletic facilities and created the first municipal tennis courts in the United States. He served under President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a Republican lawyer from New England who climbed up the ladder of Ma ...

(1923–25) and as

(1925–29). He then served as

Governor General of the Philippines The Governor-General of the Philippines ( Spanish: ''Gobernador y Capitán General de Filipinas''; Filipino: ''Gobernador-Heneral ng Pilipinas/Kapitan Heneral ng Pilipinas''; Japanese: ) was the title of the government executive during the col ...

(1929–32) under

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gre ...

Army service

Davis trained at the Preparedness Movement

Citizens' Military Training Camp Citizens' Military Training Camps (CMTC) were military training programs of the United States. Held annually each summer during the years 1921 to 1940, the CMTC camps differed from National Guard and Organized Reserve training in that the program ...

in 1915. From 1916 to 1917 he toured Europe as part of the Rockefeller War Relief Board. With war declared Davis enlisted as a private in the

Missouri National Guard The Missouri National Guard (MONG), commonly known as the Missouri Guard, is a component of the Army National Guard and Missouri State Department of the National Guard. It is composed of Army and Air National Guard units. The Department office is ...

and was commissioned in August 1917.Sobel, Robert ''Biographical Directory of the United States Executive Branch, 1774–1989'' Greenwood Publishing Group, 1990, p. 94 Going to France, Davis was promoted to Major and became

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

of the 69th Infantry Brigade of the 35th Infantry Division. During this period he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

. After the war he was a Colonel in the Army Reserves. In 1942 Davis was the first and only Director General of the short lived

Army Specialist Corps The United States ''Army Specialist Corps'' was a uniformed branch of civilian specialists employed by the U.S. Army during World War II. Men enlisted were not considered "upon active Military or Naval service". Creation Following the Attack on ...

. On the disbandment of the unit became an advisor with the rank of Major General.

Personal life

His first wife, Helen Brooks, whom he married in 1905, died in 1932.Political Graveyard Genealogies
/ref> He married Pauline Sabin in 1936. He wintered in Florida from 1933 until his death, living at

Meridian Plantation Meridian Plantation was a quail hunting plantation in central Leon County, Florida. It was established by Arthur Lapsley in 1915. Lapsley was from Pomfret Center in Pomfret, Connecticut. Meridian Plantation had previously been Mossview Plantation ...

, near

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...

Death

Davis died at his home in Washington, D.C. on November 28, 1945, after a six-month illness. He was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Legacy

His daughter Alice Brooks Davis was married to the British Ambassador to the United States Sir Roger Makins. Another daughter, Cynthia Davis, was married to banker

William McChesney Martin, Jr. William McChesney Martin Jr. (December 17, 1906 – July 27, 1998) was an American business executive who served as the 9th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1951 to 1970, the longest serving in that position. He was nominated to the post ...

, the longest-serving Federal Reserve director (1951–1970) who served under five presidents (Truman to Nixon). Davis was honored with a star on the

St. Louis Walk of Fame The St. Louis Walk of Fame honors notable people from St. Louis, Missouri, who made contributions to the culture of the United States. All inductees were either born in the Greater St. Louis area or spent their formative or creative years ther ...

References

External links

* * * *
Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Dwight F. 1879 births 1945 deaths Military personnel from St. Louis 19th-century American people 19th-century male tennis players 20th-century American politicians American athlete-politicians American male tennis players American military personnel of World War I Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Coolidge administration cabinet members

Dwight Dwight may refer to: People * Dwight (given name) * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), 34th president of the United States and former military officer *New England Dwight family of American educators, military and political leaders, and authors * ...

Founders of sporting institutions Governors-General of the Philippine Islands Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles Harvard Crimson men's tennis players Harvard College alumni History of tennis International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees Missouri National Guard personnel Missouri Republicans Olympic tennis players of the United States Organization founders Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Tennis players from St. Louis Tennis players at the 1904 Summer Olympics United States National champions (tennis) United States Army colonels United States Army reservists United States Assistant Secretaries of War United States Secretaries of War Washington, D.C., Republicans Washington University School of Law alumni United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army generals of World War II United States Army generals Washington University in St. Louis alumni