John Davis (August 7, 1788 – April 1, 1878) was a member of the

U.S. 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

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Early life

John Davis was born in

Solebury Township, Pennsylvania Solebury Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,709 at the 2020 census. History Migrating English Quakers began to settle down in an area of Buckingham Township. Around 1702, this area was i ...

. He moved to

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and settled on a farm at Rock Creek Meeting House in 1795. He returned to Pennsylvania in 1812 and settled in what is now Davisville, Pennsylvania to engage in agricultural and mercantile pursuits.

Career

Military

He served as a served as captain in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

. He rose to the rank of major general of militia.

Political

Davis was elected as a

Democrat 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 ...

to the 26th Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in

1840 Events January–March * January 3 – One of the predecessor papers of the ''Herald Sun'' of Melbourne, Australia, ''The Port Phillip Herald'', is founded. * January 10 – Uniform Penny Post is introduced in the United Kingdom. * Janu ...

to the

27th Congress The 27th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. between March 4, ...

. Davis was appointed surveyor of the

port of Philadelphia The Port of Philadelphia is located on the Delaware River in Philadelphia in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Generally the term applies to the publicly owned marine terminals located within Philadelphia city limits along west bank of the river. Th ...

by President

James K. Polk James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...

and served from 1845 to 1849.

Later life and death

Davis resumed his former business activities and died in Davisville in 1878, interred in Davisville Baptist Church Cemetery in

Bucks County, Pennsylvania Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

References

External links

* See also "A Genealogical and Personal History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Volume I", pp. 46–48 by William W. H. Davis, Preview available a
google books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, John 1788 births 1878 deaths American militia generals People from Pennsylvania in the War of 1812 Baptists from Pennsylvania People from Bucks County, Pennsylvania Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Burials in Pennsylvania 19th-century American politicians 19th-century Baptists Military personnel from Pennsylvania