Davis, David

Born March 9, 1815, in Cecil County, MD
Died June 26, 1886, in Bloomington, IL

Federal Judicial Service:
Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States
Received a recess appointment from Abraham Lincoln on October 17, 1862, to a seat vacated by John Campbell; nominated to the same position by Abraham Lincoln on December 1, 1862. Confirmed by the Senate on December 8, 1862, and received commission on December 8, 1862. Service terminated on March 4, 1877, due to resignation.

Allotment as Circuit Justice:

Eighth Circuit, October 29, 1862-April 7, 1867
Seventh Circuit, April 8, 1867-March 4, 1877

Education:
Kenyon College, A.B., 1832
Read law, 1834
New Haven Law School (now Yale Law School)

Professional Career:

Private practice, Pekin, Illinois, 1835-1836
Private practice, Bloomington, Illinois, 1836-1848
State representative, Illinois, 1844-1846
Delegate, Illinois constitutional convention, 1847
Judge, Illinois Circuit Court, Eighth Judicial Circuit, 1848-1862
U.S. senator from Illinois, 1877-1883

Bibliography

Bader, William D. and Frank J. Williams. “David Davis: Lawyer, Judge, and Politician in the Age of Lincoln.” Roger Williams University Law Review, vol. 14, no. 2 (Spring 2009): 163-214.

Dent, Thomas. “David Davis of Illinois – A Sketch.” American Law Review, vol. 53, no. 4 (Jul.-Aug. 1919): 535-60.

Flynn, William J. and Howard Newcomb Morse. “David Davis, Justice U.S. Supreme Court.” Alabama Lawyer, vol. 13, no. 4 (Oct. 1952): 392-5.

King, Willard Leroy. Lincoln’s Manager, David Davis. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1960.

McKoski, Ray. “Reestablishing Actual Impartiality as the Fundamental Value of Judicial Ethics: Lessons from 'Big Judge Davis'.” Kentucky Law Journal, vol. 99, no. 2 (2010-2011): 259-325.

Manuscript Collections

Chicago Historical Society
Chicago, Ill.
David Davis papers, 1836-1886.
ca. 15,000 items; correspondence, legal documents, clippings, and other material related to Davis's personal, legal, and political life.

Harvard University
Cambridge, Mass.
David Davis and family papers, December 1856-December 1860.
1 microfilm reel; includes correspondence of David Davis; material from the collection of the Illinois State Historical Society. Also available at the University of Wyoming.

Illinois State University
Normal, Ill.
David Davis family papers, ca. 1860-1885.
9 microfilm reels; mostly letters by or to David Davis.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Illinois State Historical Survey
Urbana, Ill.
David Davis correspondence, ca. 1861-1884.
44 items; finding aid; collection contains correspondence, which includes 24 letters to Thomas Drummond.

Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
David Davis papers, 1857-1873.
2 items; collection is a part of the Miscellaneous Manuscripts collection.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
Springfield, Ill.
David Davis correspondence, 1855-1886.
11 items; letters written by David Davis, mostly to Oliver L. Davis of Danville, Illinois.

David Davis family papers, 1816-1953.
24.25 linear ft.; finding aid; collection contains David Davis's personal, family, business, financial, and legal papers.

David Davis legal documents, 1840-1855.
11 items; legal documents related to lawsuits in which Davis acted as attorney.

David Davis papers, 1843-1883.
6 items; miscellaneous letters written by Davis.

Federal Judicial Center

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Davis, David