Robert Wyche Davis (March 15, 1849 – September 15, 1929) was a

United States Representative 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

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Biography

Born near

Albany, Georgia Albany ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located on the Flint River, it is the seat of Dougherty County, and is the sole incorporated city in that county. Located in southwest Georgia, it is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia m ...

, Davis attended public schools. He enlisted in 1863 in the Fifth Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment of the Confederate States Army, and served until the surrender of his company on April 26, 1865. He later studied law in Florida. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1869 and commenced practice in

Blakely, Georgia Blakely is a city and the county seat of Early County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 5,068. It is located approximately halfway between Columbus and Tallahassee, Florida on U.S. Route 27. History Blakel ...

. He moved to Florida in 1879 and practiced law in

Green Cove Springs Green Cove Springs is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,378 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 6,908. The city is named after the porti ...

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Fl ...

, then in Gainesville, Alachua County, and afterward in Palatka, Putnam County. He served as member of the Florida House of Representatives from Clay County in 1884 and 1885, serving as Speaker of the House the latter year. Davis was elected as a Democratic Representative to the Fifty-fifth and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1905). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1904 to the Fifty-ninth Congress. He resumed the practice of law in Palatka, and

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

. He moved to Gainesville, Florida, in 1914 and served as register of the

United States Land Office The General Land Office (GLO) was an independent agency of the United States government responsible for public domain lands in the United States. It was created in 1812 to take over functions previously conducted by the United States Department o ...

at Gainesville 1914-1922. He was editor of the ''

Gainesville Sun ''The Gainesville Sun'' () is a newspaper published daily in Gainesville, Florida, United States, covering the North-Central portion of the state. The paper is published by Lynni Henderson, the paper's Executive Editor is Douglas Ray and the ed ...

'' and was mayor of Gainesville in 1924 and 1925. He resumed the practice of law in 1928. He died in Gainesville, Florida, September 15, 1929. He was interred in Evergreen Cemetery in Gainesville.

Family

Robert Wyche Davis' great grandfather was Jonathan Davis, born in England circa 1730. Jonathan Davis was married to Lucy Gibbs, the daughter of a prominent family from Virginia.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Robert Wyche 1849 births 1929 deaths Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Confederate States Army personnel People from Blakely, Georgia