Garrett Davis

Garrett Davis
United States Senator from Kentucky
In office December 10, 1861 – September 22, 1872
Preceded by	John C. Breckinridge
Succeeded by	Willis B. Machen
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 8th district
In office March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847
Preceded by	James Sprigg
Succeeded by	Charles S. Morehead
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 12th district
In office March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1843
Preceded by	John Chambers
Succeeded by	District eliminated
Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
In office 1833–1835
Personal details
Born	(1801-09-10)September 10, 1801 Mount Sterling, Kentucky, US
Died	September 22, 1872(1872-09-22) (aged 71) Paris, Kentucky, US
Resting place	Paris Cemetery, Paris, Kentucky
Political party	Whig Union Democratic Democrat
Spouses	Rebecca Trimble ​ ​ (m. 1826; died 1844)​ Eliza Jane Morrow ​ ​ (m. 1845; died 1868)​
Profession	Politician, lawyer

Garrett Davis (September 10, 1801 – September 22, 1872) was an American attorney and politician who represented Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives from 1839 to 1847 and the United States Senate from 1861 to his death.

Early life

Born in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, Garrett Davis was the brother of Amos Davis. After completing preparatory studies, Davis was employed in the office of the county clerk of Montgomery County, Kentucky, and afterward of Bourbon County, Kentucky. He studied law, and, after being admitted to the bar in 1823, pursued the private practice of law in Paris, Kentucky. He owned slaves.

Political career

Davis served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1833 to 1835. Afterward, he was elected as a Whig to the United States House of Representatives, serving from March 4, 1839, to March 3, 1847. There he was chairman of the Committee on Territories.

Davis declined to be a candidate for reelection in 1846, but instead resumed the practice of law and also engaged in agricultural pursuits. He refused to reenter politics the next fifteen years. Davis declined the nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky in 1848 and declined the American Party nomination for Governor in 1855 and for the presidency in 1856.

Davis was opposed to secession, however, and supported the Constitutional Union Party ticket of John Bell and Edward Everett in the 1860 presidential election. This convinced him to reenter politics, and he was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Union Democrat by the Kentucky General Assembly in a December 1861 special election to fill the vacancy caused by the expulsion of John C. Breckinridge for supporting the Confederacy. He was reelected as a Democrat in 1867. At the time of his death he was chairman of the Committee on Private Land Claims (during the 42nd Congress).

Personal life

Davis was married twice, first to Rebecca Trimble, the daughter of Associate Justice Robert Trimble, and then to Eliza J. Elliott. He was the father of four children: Rebecca, Robert, Carrie and Garrett.

Death and legacy

Davis died in office on September 22, 1872. Davis' home, called Woodhome, was afterward sold to George Edgar who used it for a military academy.

Davis is the namesake of Davis County, Iowa.

See also

• List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899)

Sources

• United States Congress. "Garrett Davis (id: D000099)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• American National Biography, Dictionary of American Biography, United States Congress.
• Memorial Addresses for Garrett Davis. 42nd Cong., 3rd sess. from 1872 to 1873. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1873