John W. Davis | |
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Davis as painted by W.D. Murphy, 1911. | |
Indiana House Representative | |
In office 1831 – 1833 1841–1843 1851–1852 1857–1857 |
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4th Governor of Oregon Territory | |
In office May 14, 1853 – August 1, 1854 |
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Appointed by | Franklin Pierce |
Preceded by | George Law Curry |
Succeeded by | George Law Curry |
Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives | |
In office December 3, 1832 – February 4, 1833 December 6, 1841 – January 31, 1842 December 1, 1851 – June 21, 1852 |
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Preceded by | Harbin H. Moore Samuel Judah Ebenezer Dumont |
Succeeded by | Nathan B. Palmer Thomas Jefferson Henley William Hayden English |
3rd United States Commissioner to the Great Qing Empire | |
In office January 3, 1848 – May 25, 1850 |
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21st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives | |
In office December 1, 1845 – March 4, 1847 |
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President | James K. Polk |
Preceded by | John W. Jones |
Succeeded by | Robert C. Winthrop |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 6th district |
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In office March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847 |
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Preceded by | David Wallace |
Succeeded by | George G. Dunn |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 2nd district |
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In office March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837 March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1841 |
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Preceded by | John Ewing John Ewing |
Succeeded by | John Ewing Richard W. Thompson |
Indiana State court judge | |
In office 1829–1831 |
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Personal details | |
Born | John Wesley Davis April 16, 1799 New Holland, Pennsylvania, USA |
Died | August 22, 1859 Carlisle, Indiana, USA |
(aged 60)
Resting place | City Cemetery |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Democratic |
Other political affiliations |
Jacksonian |
Alma mater | UMB |
Occupation | Doctor |
Profession | Medical |
Committees | Committee on Public Lands |
John Wesley Davis (April 16, 1799 – August 22, 1859) was a doctor and a prominent U.S. politician during the 1840s.
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Davis was born in New Holland, Pennsylvania, on April 16, 1799, and later moved to Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, with his parents.[1][2] Davis graduated from Baltimore Medical College in 1821, then moved to Carlisle, Indiana, in 1823 and practiced medicine there.[2] He married Ann Hoover on November 19, 1820.
Davis started his political career as an unsuccessful candidate for the Indiana Senate in 1828. He instead became a state court judge in Indiana from 1829 to 1831. He was elected a member of the Indiana House of Representatives for 1831–1833, 1841–43, 1851–52, and in 1857.[1] He was Speaker of the Indiana House in 1832–33, 1841–42, 1851–52.[1]
He served as a U.S. Representative from Indiana in the 24th, 26th, 28th and 29th Congresses and was Speaker of the U.S. House in the 29th Congress.[1] From 1848 to 1850 he was U.S. Diplomatic Commissioner to China.[1] In 1852 he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Indiana.[1]
Davis was appointed to the office of Governor of the Oregon Territory in 1853 by President Franklin Pierce. His appointment was not welcomed by Oregonians, however, and he left office just over a year later, with the position returning to his predecessor, Acting Governor George Law Curry. Pierce later appointed Curry to the position officially.
Davis died in Carlisle, Indiana on August 22, 1859.[1] He was buried at City Cemetery in Carlisle.[1]
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