Frank Allston Davis was a publishing

Publishing

Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...

 executive who founded the F. A. Davis Company

F. A. Davis Company

F.A. Davis Company is a publishing firm headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded by F. A. Davis . Davis publishes mostly textbooks and reference books for the medical, nursing, and health-related professions fields.-History:Frank Allston Davis was an American businessman and...

 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. After moving to the Tampa Bay Area

Tampa Bay Area

The Tampa Bay Area is the region of west central Florida adjacent to Tampa Bay. Definitions of the region vary. It is often considered equivalent to the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area defined by the United States Census Bureau. The Census Bureau currently...

, he introduced electricity to St. Petersburg, Florida

St. Petersburg, Florida

St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...

 and founded the city of Pinellas Park

Pinellas Park, Florida

Pinellas Park is a city located in central Pinellas County, Florida. The population was 45,658 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 47,166 . The city was founded by Philadelphia publisher, F. A...

.

Early life

Davis was born in Duxbury, Vermont

Duxbury, Vermont

Duxbury is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,289 at the 2000 census. It claims to be the only municipality in the United States which has an elected position of dogcatcher.-History:...

 and, as a child, worked as a groundskeeper and attended school. His mother died in 1861, after which he lived with Samuel Cook Turner. He worked as a lawnmower salesman in Asbury Park, New Jersey

Asbury Park, New Jersey

Asbury Park is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, located on the Jersey Shore and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 16,116. The city is known for its rich musical history, including its association with...

 during the summer of 1870. By 1872, he earned $30 per month as a teacher.

Davis relocated to Philadelphia and worked as an agent for several publishing firms. He married Lizzie Fritz and their son, Alonzo, was born in 1873. In 1879, he was working as an agent for the largest medical publisher in the world, William Wood and Company when he formed his own publishing company, F. A. Davis Company. Similar to William Wood, Davis's company specialized in publishing medical material including medical studies. Davis's first wife died in the 1880s.

Florida

On April 29, 1885, Davis attended an American Medical Association

American Medical Association

The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...

 meeting which included a study about the benefits of the Pinellas

Pinellas

Pinellas is the name of a peninsula located roughly half-way down the west coast of Florida. It forms the western boundary of Tampa Bay and comprises the bulk of Pinellas County. There is a city named Pinellas Park in south Pinellas. The peninsula is bounded on the north by Pasco County, Florida,...

 peninsula. Davis eventually published the study and, in 1889, he travelled to Tarpon Springs, Florida

Tarpon Springs, Florida

Tarpon Springs is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 21,003 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 22,554....

. He felt improvement in his muscular rheumatism

Rheumatism

Rheumatism or rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the joints and connective tissue. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.-Terminology:...

 and advertised for Florida in one of his medical journals. In Tarpon Springs he met Jacob Disston, the brother of Florida land baron Hamilton Disston

Hamilton Disston

Hamilton Disston , was an industrialist and real-estate developer who purchased four million acres of Florida land in 1881, an area larger than the state of Connecticut, and reportedly the most land ever purchased by a single person in world history...

. Davis and Disston combined to bring electricity to Tarpon Springs in 1895. In the same year, Davis married Elizabeth Irene Craven.

Electricity had little impact on Tarpon Springs so Davis received an electricity franchise

Government-granted monopoly

In economics, a government-granted monopoly is a form of coercive monopoly by which a government grants exclusive privilege to a private individual or firm to be the sole provider of a good or service; potential competitors are excluded from the market by law, regulation, or other mechanisms of...

 from St. Petersburg on February 2, 1897 and moved his plant there. St. Petersburg's first wood-powered electrical service was initiated on August 5, 1897. On February 4, 1902, Davis was granted a trolley franchise by St. Petersburg. He paid for trolley construction with funding from Jacob Disston and others, and by purchasing and re-selling the city's phone system. Trolley construction began on May 30, 1904 and operation began four months later. In 1905, he expanded the trolley system to Disston City. Through his publishing company, Davis promoted the area with Florida magazine in 1905 and two books in 1906. Continuing to expand his influence in St. Petersburg, Davis tore down the Brantley Pier and built the Electric Pier

St. Petersburg Pier

The St. Petersburg Pier, simply called The Pier by locals, is a landmark and major tourist destination in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. Some of the activities and sights it encompasses include fishing, boat rentals, weekly festivals, and the Pier Aquarium...

 in 1906. He paid $80,000 for a 500-passenger steamboat named Favorite which first arrived on October 17, 1906 and was a popular attraction at the Electric Pier.

Davis's progress - and St. Petersburg's in general - was hampered when Tampa tycoon, Henry B. Plant

Henry B. Plant

Henry Bradley Plant , was involved with many transportation projects, mostly railroads, in the U.S. state of Florida. Eventually he owned the Plant System of railroads which became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad...

, purchased the city's lifeline, the Orange Belt Railroad, in 1906. Davis was dealt another blow by the banking panic of 1907

Panic of 1907

The Panic of 1907, also known as the 1907 Bankers' Panic, was a financial crisis that occurred in the United States when the New York Stock Exchange fell almost 50% from its peak the previous year. Panic occurred, as this was during a time of economic recession, and there were numerous runs on...

. Two years later, he shifted control of much of his St. Petersburg holdings to his occasional rival, H. Walter Fuller. After a conflict over St. Petersburg waterfront area, Davis purchased 12800 acres (51.8 km²) of Hamilton Disston's land around 1911 and established the city of Pinellas Park. Davis, his son, and P. J. McDevitt advertised the new city drawing people from Pennsylvania and Ohio. McDevitt became the city's first mayor. Davis sold a free lot in Pinellas Park for every ten-acre farm purchased, resulting in 111 farm sales from 1910 to 1912. Lack of drainage in Pinellas Park caused problems in August 1915 when 15 inches (381 mm) of rain fell.

Davis died in Philadelphia from heart failure, reportedly due to World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

and concern over his estate. Jacob Disston closed out Davis's remaining holdings in Florida while his wife, Elizabeth, remained involved with F. A. Davis Company until her death in 1964.

Further reading