Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/171

 DAVIES

DAVIS

DAVIES, William Gilbert, la\ryer, was born in New York city, March 21. 1842 ; son of Judge Henry Ebenezer and Elebecca Waldo (Tappan) Davies. He was graduated from Trinity coUege, Hartford, Conn., in 1860; studied in Leipzig, Grerniany, one year; upon his return home en- tered the law department of Columbia coUege, and was admitted to the bar in 1863, the same year taking part in the Gettysburg campaign as a member of the 22d regiment, New York state militia. In 1864 he began law practice in New York city: and in 1866 became connected with the Mutual life insurance company, being sub- sequently appointed head of its law department. He was married, Dec. 15, 1870, to Lucie, daughter of the Hon. Alexander Hamilton Rice of Boston, Mass. He was chairman of the board of trustees of the Medico-legal society, 1886-89, and was elected a member of several historical and genealogical societies.

DAVIES, William Walter, educator, was born at Llangybi, South Wales, May 10, 1848. He removed to the L'nited States in 1866, and was graduated from Ohio Wesleyan university, A.B.. in 1872, A.M. in 1875, and from Drew theological seminary, B.D. in 1874. He then studied in Europe, receiving the degrees of A.M. and Ph.D. from Halle university, Prussia, in 1876. He studied theology at the Faculte Libre, Lausanne, Switzerland, and Semitic philology at the Ecole de la France at Paris in 1876-77. In the latter year he entered the Ohio conference of the Methodist Episcopal church, and was pastor at Dover, Ohio, 1877-78 ; instructor in Hebrew and modern languages in Ohio Wesleyan university, 1878-83; adjunct professor of the same branches in 1883, and was advanced to the chair of Ger- man and Hebrew in 1884. He was married, Dec. 25, 1878, to Mary E., daughter of George Wash- ington Cha.se of Auburn, ^Maine. He revisited the Universities of Halle and Berlin in 1896. He became editor of the archaeological department in the Methodist Setieic in 1894; and is the author of critical notes in the Sunday School Teachers' Journal, 1895-96. He published: Authorship of Ecclesiostes (1884) ; Martin Luther as a Bible Trans- lator (1885) ; Is the Book of. Jonah HistoricMl? (1888) ; Integrity of the Book of J oh (1890) : Origin and Be- ligious Contents of the Psalter (1891) ; The Lerirate Marriage (1892) ; The Chokhmah (1892) ; The Vin- dictive Psalms (1892); The Songs of the Ascents (1892) ; TTie Unfairness of Lessing in " Nathan the Wise" (1893); The Old Testament from the Stand- point of the Higher Critics (1898) : besides many articles for the religious press.

DAVIESS, Joseph Hamilton, lawyer, was born in Bedford county. Va.. March 4, 1774. His parents removed first to Lincoln county. Ken- tucky, in 1779, and subsequently to Bogle county.

.settling near Danville. He was educated at Harrodsburg academy, and in 1793 served for six months as a voliinteer soldier in the campaign against the Indians. He was admitted to the bar in 1795, and established himself at Dan- ville when he cut himself off from pubUc office by supporting the Federalists, and gave his entire time to the practice of his profession. He travelled his circuit on foot, dressed in his hunting costvune and with his rifle in hand. His appearance at court was always in this garb, and he argued his first cause before the United States supreme court in a similar dress and won the suit, the first western lawyer to api>ear in that court. He was married to a sister of Chief Justice ^larshaU about the time of his visit to Washington. In 1799, when the state constitu- tional convention was in session, he acted as second to John Rowan, — a delegate to the con- vention and afterward U.S. senator, — in a duel iu which Rowan's antagonist was killed. The parties to the meeting aU fled to avoid prosecu- tion, but when Daviess learned of the arrest of Rowan, he returned, defended htm before the court, and secured his acquittal. On Nov. 3, 1806, in his capacity as U.S. attorney for Ken- tucky, he moved the appearance of Aaron Burr before the court to answer the charge of levying war against a nation with which the United States was at j^eace. The court overruled the motion but Burr insisted ui)on its being granted and appeared to answer, accompanied by Henry Clay as his counsel. Daviess could not secure the attendance of his witnesses and the case was dismissed. This result greatly damaged the legal reputation of Daviess and destroyed his jwpu- larity. Even the subsequent revelation of Burr's plot did not restore the prosecuting attorney to popular favor. In 1811 he served as major in a regiment of dragoons raised in Kentucky to support General Harrison in his campaign against the Indians, and was killed at the battle of Tippecanoe in a cavalry charge which he led and which was the point in the battle that deter- mined Harrison's victory. Jo Daviess county, lUinois, and Daviess cotinties in Kentucky, Missouri and Indiana were named for him. He published: A Vieic of the President's Conduct con- cerning the Conspiracy of 1806 (1807). He died on the battle-field of Tippecanoe. Ind.. Nov. 7, 1811. DAVIS, Alexander Jackson, architect, was bom in New York city, July 24, 1803: son of Cor- nelius Davis, editor and publisher of the New York Theological Magazine. He began to study architecture in the antique school in 1823, and opened an office in his native city in 1826. He conducted the business from 1829 to 1843 in partnership with Ithial Town. He was founder of the American institute of architects, and sec-