John Davis (Kansas politician)

For other people named John Davis, see John Davis (disambiguation).

John Davis
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's 5th congressional district
In office March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1895
Preceded by	John Alexander Anderson
Succeeded by	William A. Calderhead
Personal details
Born	(1826-08-09)August 9, 1826 Springfield, Illinois
Died	Topeka, Kansas
Resting place	Topeka Cemetery
Political party	Populist Party
Other political affiliations	Greenback Party
Alma mater	Illinois College

John Davis (August 9, 1826 – August 1, 1901) was a U.S. Representative from Kansas.

Early life

Born near Springfield, Illinois, 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.

Career

Davis moved to Kansas in 1872 and located on a farm near Junction City. 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.

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 Abraham 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.

Later life

After his political career Davis devoted his time to literary work until his death at the residence of his daughter in Topeka, Kansas, August 1, 1901. He was interred in Topeka Cemetery.

References

• John Davis at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

Notes

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by John A. Anderson	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's 5th congressional district 1891 – 1895	Succeeded by William A. Calderhead