Dwight F. Davis
Encyclopedia
Dwight Filley Davis was an American tennis
player and politician
. He is best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup
international tennis competition.
, Missouri
on July 5, 1879.
Davis was the runner-up for the men's singles title at the US Championships
in 1898. He then teamed-up with Holcombe Ward
won the men's doubles title at the championships for three years in a row from 1899-1901. 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 University
.
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 Davis Cup
in his honor. He was a member of the US team that won the first two competitions in 1900
and 1902
, and was also the captain of the 1900 team.
He participated in the 1904 Summer Olympics
. He was eliminated in the second round of the singles tournament
. In the doubles tournament
he and his partner Ralph McKittrick
lost in the quarter-finals.
Davis was educated at Washington University Law School, 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 President Calvin Coolidge
as Assistant Secretary of War
(1923–25) and as Secretary of War (1925–29). He then served as Governor General of the Philippines (1929–32) under Herbert Hoover
. His first wife, Helen Brooks, whom he married in 1905, died in 1932. He married Pauline Sabin
in 1936. He wintered in Florida from 1933 until his death, living at Meridian Plantation
, near Tallahassee. Davis died in Washington, D.C.
on November 28, 1945.
.
Davis has been honored with a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame
.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He is best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
international tennis competition.
Biography
Davis was born in St. LouisSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
on July 5, 1879.
Davis was the runner-up for the men's singles title at the US Championships
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
in 1898. He then teamed-up with Holcombe Ward
Holcombe Ward
Holcombe Ward was an American male tennis player.Ward is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at the US Championships in 1904.- US Championships :...
won the men's doubles title at the championships for three years in a row from 1899-1901. 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 University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
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 Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
in his honor. He was a member of the US team that won the first two competitions in 1900
1900 International Lawn Tennis Challenge
The 1900 Gabys International Lawn Tennis Challenge was the first edition of what is now known as the Davis Cup.-History:The tournament was conceived in 1899 by four members of the Harvard University tennis team who came up with the idea of challenging the British to a tennis competition...
and 1902
1902 International Lawn Tennis Challenge
The 1902 International Lawn Tennis Challenge was the second edition of what is now known as the Davis Cup. The tie was played at the Crescent Athletic Club in Brooklyn, New York, United States.-Result:...
, and was also the captain of the 1900 team.
He participated in the 1904 Summer Olympics
1904 Summer Olympics
The 1904 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the III Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States from 1 July 1904, to November 23, 1904, at what is now known as Francis Field on the campus of Washington University...
. He was eliminated in the second round of the singles tournament
Tennis at the 1904 Summer Olympics - Men's Singles
-Top half:Nathaniel Semple defeated George Stadel 6-2, 6-1 to win the only match of the first round.-Bottom half:...
. In the doubles tournament
Tennis at the 1904 Summer Olympics - Men's Doubles
The men's doubles was a tennis event held as part of the Tennis at the 1904 Summer Olympics programme. It was the third time the event was held at the Olympics. 15 pairs from 2 nations competed.-Results:...
he and his partner Ralph McKittrick
Ralph McKittrick
Ralph McKittrick 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 finished eleventh in this competition...
lost in the quarter-finals.
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
as Assistant Secretary of War
United States 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...
(1923–25) and as Secretary of War (1925–29). He then served as Governor General of the Philippines (1929–32) under Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
. His first wife, Helen Brooks, whom he married in 1905, died in 1932. He married Pauline Sabin
Pauline Sabin
Pauline Sabin was a New Yorker who founded the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform in 1929. Time recognized her work promoting the repeal of prohibition by featuring her on its cover on July 18, 1932.-Background:...
in 1936. He wintered in Florida from 1933 until his death, living at Meridian Plantation
Meridian Plantation
Meridian Plantation was a quail hunting plantation in central Leon County, Florida wasestablished by Arthur Lapsley in 1915. Lapsley was from Pomfret Center in Pomfret, Connecticut....
, near Tallahassee. Davis died in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
on November 28, 1945.
Legacy
His daughter Alice Brooks Davis was married to the British Ambassador to the United States Sir Roger MakinsRoger Makins, 1st Baron Sherfield
Roger Mellor Makins, 1st Baron Sherfield, GCB, GCMG, FRS , was a British diplomat who served as British Ambassador to the United States from 1953 to 1956....
.
Davis has been honored with a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame
St. Louis Walk of Fame
The St. Louis Walk of Fame honors well-known people from St. Louis, Missouri, who made contributions to culture of the United States. All inductees were either born in the Greater St. Louis area or spent their formative or creative years there...
.