John A. G. Davis

John Anthony Gardner Davis (March 5, 1802, Middlesex County, Virginia – November 15, 1840, Charlottesville, Virginia) was a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law who was shot to death by a student of the university.

Early life

Davis, the son of Staige Davis (1775–1813) and Elizabeth Macon (Gardner) Davis (born 1780) of Prospect Hill in Middlesex County, was named John Anthony Gardner Davis after his mother's uncle, Dr. Anthony Gardner.John A. G. Davis
, ''Students of the University of Virginia, 1825–1874''

From 1819 to 1820, Davis studied at the College of William and Mary, where the president called him "likely to be the most distinguished man of his time, in Virginia."

In 1821, Davis married Mary Jane Terrell (1803–1879), a great niece of Thomas Jefferson.

Davis was admitted to the bar in 1822 and opened a law practice in Middlesex County. The couple moved to Charlottesville in 1824, where they constructed a residence at Lewis Farm which is now on the National Register of Historic Places, and where Davis continued to practice law.

Believing that lawyers needed a broad education, Davis studied science during the first session of the University of Virginia in 1825; in 1830 he was elected the second professor of law at the University, and became the first of several law professors to reside in Pavilion X on The Lawn.John Anthony Gardner Davis
, ''Arthur J. Morris Law Library Special Collections''

Davis and his wife had 7 children: Eugene, John Staige, Dabney Carr T., Richard Terrell, Caryetta, Elizabeth Gardiner, and Lucy Minor Davis. All of the sons attended University of Virginia.

Academic work

Davis wrote ''A Treatise on Criminal Law: With an Exposition of the Office and Authority of Justices of the Peace in Virginia, including Forms of Practice''. He divided the School of Law into a junior class, which covered general material, and a senior class, which focused on the tools needed to practice law professionally. The Law Society was created under his aegis in 1833.

Death

At the time, a fixture at University of Virginia were the periodic student riots, one of which occurred on the evening of 12 November 1840.Bad Boys
, ''Virginia'', Carlos Santos By now chairman of the faculty, respected and well liked by the students, Davis attempted to stop the two students who were causing the disturbance and was shot by one. The masked perpetrator was identified as Joseph Green Semmes.

Although the wound was originally not considered fatal,Painful Occurrence
, ''Richmond Enquirer'', November 17, 1840 Davis died three days later. He was buried at the University of Virginia Cemetery. Students, chastened by the turn of events, joined in the search for Semmes and located him hiding in the forest. Semmes was imprisoned in the county jail for several months while several trial dates were postponed; then, in July 1841, released on $25,000 bond, by reason of deteriorating health. However, he failed to appear for trial in October 1841, and eventually committed suicide, years later.

Popular culture

A fictionalized version of Davis' murder is portrayed in the short story, ''The Professor's Assassin'', by Matthew Pearl.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, John A. G.
1802 births
1840 deaths
University of Virginia School of Law faculty
People murdered in Virginia
Burials at the University of Virginia Cemetery
People from Middlesex County, Virginia
Virginia lawyers
19th-century American lawyers
College of William & Mary alumni
Deaths by firearm in Virginia