John Davis (Kansas politician)
Encyclopedia
John Davis was a U.S. Representative
from Kansas
.
, Davis moved with his parents to Macon County in 1830.
He attended the country schools, Springfield Academy, and Illinois College
, Jacksonville, Illinois
. He engaged in agricultural and horticultural pursuits near Decatur, Illinois
.
. He was elected president of the first distinctive farmers' convention held in Kansas in 1873, out of which grew the Farmers' Cooperative Association, of which he was the first president.
He later served as president of the Grange convention in 1874 and became proprietor and editor
of the Junction City Tribune in 1875. Davis also served as Secretary of the Central Kansas Horticultural Society for many years.
Lincoln"
Davis was an unsuccessful candidate of the Greenback Party
for election in 1880 to the Forty-seventh Congress
and in 1882 to the Forty-eighth Congress
.
Davis was elected as a Populist to the Fifty-second
and Fifty-third Congresses
(March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895). In congress, he made speeches on finance, tariff reform, transportation, the income tax, and was an advocate of women's suffrage
.
Davis was unsuccessful in his bid for re-election in 1894 to the Fifty-fourth Congress
.
, August 1, 1901. He was interred in Topeka Cemetery.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.
Early life
Born near Springfield, IllinoisSpringfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, Davis moved with his parents to Macon County in 1830.
He attended the country schools, Springfield Academy, and Illinois College
Illinois College
Illinois College is a private, liberal arts college, affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church , and located in Jacksonville, Illinois. It was the second college founded in Illinois, but the first to grant a degree . It was founded in 1829 by the Illinois Band,...
, Jacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,940 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County....
. He engaged in agricultural and horticultural pursuits near Decatur, Illinois
Decatur, Illinois
Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...
.
Career
Davis moved to Kansas in 1872 and located on a farm near Junction CityJunction City, Kansas
Junction City is a city in and the county seat of Geary County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 23,353. Fort Riley, a major U.S. Army post, is nearby...
. He was elected president of the first distinctive farmers' convention held in Kansas in 1873, out of which grew the Farmers' Cooperative Association, of which he was the first president.
He later served as president of the Grange convention in 1874 and became proprietor and editor
Managing editor
A managing editor is a senior member of a publication's management team.In the United States, a managing editor oversees and coordinates the publication's editorial activities...
of the Junction City Tribune in 1875. Davis also served as Secretary of the Central Kansas Horticultural Society for many years.
Politics
Davis was an anti-slave Republican and believed in the principle of government supported agricultural education. He was also "a neighbor and intimate acquaintance of AbrahamLincoln"
Davis was an unsuccessful candidate of the Greenback Party
United States Greenback Party
The Greenback Party was an American political party with an anti-monopoly ideology that was active between 1874 and 1884. Its name referred to paper money, or "greenbacks," that had been issued during the American Civil War and afterward...
for election in 1880 to the Forty-seventh Congress
47th United States Congress
The Forty-seventh 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. from March 4, 1881 to March 4, 1883, during the administration...
and in 1882 to the Forty-eighth Congress
48th United States Congress
The Forty-eighth 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. from March 4, 1883 to March 4, 1885, during the last two years...
.
Davis was elected as a Populist to the Fifty-second
52nd United States Congress
The Fifty-second 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...
and Fifty-third Congresses
53rd United States Congress
The Fifty-third 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. from March 4, 1893 to March 4, 1895, during the fifth and sixth...
(March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895). In congress, he made speeches on finance, tariff reform, transportation, the income tax, and was an advocate of women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
.
Davis was unsuccessful in his bid for re-election in 1894 to the Fifty-fourth Congress
54th United States Congress
- House of Representatives :-Leadership:- Senate :* President: Adlai E. Stevenson * President pro tempore: William P. Frye - Majority leadership :* Republican Conference Chairman: John Sherman- Minority leadership :...
.
Later life
After his political career Davis devoted his time to literary work until his death in Topeka, KansasTopeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, August 1, 1901. He was interred in Topeka Cemetery.