HENRY G. DAVIS

'Henry Gassaway Davis' (November 16, 1823 – March 11, 1916) was a politician from West Virginia and was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President in 1904. Brother of Thomas Beall Davis

Contents

Early life

Politics

Candidate for Vice President

Later years

References

Early life

Born near Woodstock, Maryland, Davis worked on a farm until 1843, when he began to work for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as a brakeman and conductor. Later he was put in charge of the Piedmont, Virginia terminal of the railroad, and soon went into coal mining and banking in Piedmont.

Politics

In 1865 he was elected a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1866, Piedmont having become a part of the new state, and became a state senator in 1869. In 1871, he was elected to the United States Senate, serving two terms, with his service ending in 1883.

Following his service in the Senate, Davis retired to Elkins, West Virginia, where he resumed banking and coal mining. Davis represented the U.S. at the Pan-American Conferences of 1889 and 1901.

Candidate for Vice President

In 1904, Davis became the Democratic nominee for Vice President on a ticket with Alton B. Parker. Parker and Davis lost to the Republican ticket of Theodore Roosevelt and Charles Fairbanks. At age 80, Davis was (and is) the oldest person to be nominated for President or Vice President on a major party ticket.

Later years

Davis in his last years acted as chairman of the permanent Pan American Railway Committee (1901-1916). He died in Washington, DC at age 92.

References

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