Alexander Davis

Alexander Mathews Davis (January 17, 1833 – September 25, 1889) was a nineteenth-century politician and lawyer from Virginia.

Biography

Born in Old Mount Airy, Virginia, Davis attended the old field schools and was privately tutored as a child and went on to graduate from Emory and Henry College. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1854, commencing practice in Wytheville, Virginia, later moving to Independence, Virginia.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Davis served in the Confederate Army as captain of Company C of the 45th Regiment, Virginia Infantry in 1861, later promoted to major in 1862 and lieutenant colonel in 1864. He was captured near the end of the war and was held prisoner on Johnson's Island.

After his release, Davis served in the Virginia Senate from 1869 to 1871 and was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives in 1873, serving until 1874. Afterward, he resumed practicing law until his death in Independence, Virginia on September 25, 1889. He was interred in Davis Family Cemetery.

Election of 1872

Davis was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 50.55% of the vote, defeating Conservative Christopher Yancy Thomas; however, Thomas successfully contested the result and was seated.

External links

• Alexander Davis at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress Retrieved on 2008-09-27