Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/178

 DAVIS

DAVIS

state senator, 1839 and 1840, and a Whig repre- sentative in the 32d congress, 1851-53. He was a member of the Massiichusetts historical society and a corresjxjnding member for many years. He died in Portland, Maine, June 17, 1877.

DAVIS, George Trumbull Moore, soldier, was born at La Valetta, Malta, May 24, 1810; son of Dr. George and Ann Tucker (Pennock) Davis of New York city; and grandson of Matthew and Phebe (Wells) Davis of New York city and of William and Ann (Tucker) Pennock of Rich- mond, Va. His father was appointed a surgeon in the U.S. navy by President Jefferson and in 1805, on the resignation of Gen. William Eaton, U.S. consul-general for the regency of Tripoli, he was appointed to the vacancy and resigned in 1810. The son was educated at Youkers, N.Y., and in 1824 went as a clerk to Syracuse, N.Y., where he was married in 1828 to Susan Minerva, daughter of Judge James Webb. He then studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1832, and opened the first law office in Alton, 111. He aided in the expulsion of the Mormons from the state and defended Governor Ford, charged with complicity in the murder of Joseph and Hiram Smith. As aide-de-camp to General Shields he engaged in recruiting soldiers for the Mexican war at Alton, 111., and on July 29, 1846, he de- parted for Mexico to join liis cliief. He was made brigade ordnance officer and was appointed quar- termaster and commissary on the inarch to join General Wool at Monclara. He made a hazardous journey to the national capital with secret dis- patches to the President from General Shields, leaving camp Nov. 2, 1846, arriving at Wash- ington December 5, and on his return reaching camp Feb. 5, 1847. He took part in the siege of Vera Cruz, and was apjwinted by General Scott judge-advocate of the military commission. He received from General Scott on April 15, 1850, acknowledgment of his service as well as an ex- pre.ssion of appreciation of " zeal and gallantry displayed in the campaign of 1847 from Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico." lie was with Shields at Cerro Gordo and detailed the men who carried that officer from the field desperately wounded, and prevented their obeying the des- pairing orders of the wounded officer, to let him lie down and die, long before they had accom- plished their two-mile journey through the woods to the temporary hospital at Jalapa. Here he nursed his chief back to life and they left that place on June 27, reaching Puebla on July 8. He then accompanied the army on its histor- ical march to Mexico as quartermaster and as aide-de-camp on the staff of Gen. J. A. Quitman, taking part in all the battles leading up to the occupation of the Mexican capital. He accom- panied General Quitman on his march through

the streets of the ancient city, where he raised the American flag over the palace. He was made military secretary to General Quitman, the civil and military governor of Mexico. On Oct. 26, 1847, he was mustered out of the U.S. service with the brevet rank of colonel. He was ap- pointed by President Taylor first clerk of the military bureau in the general land office at Wasliington, and by Secretary of War Conrad, chief clerk of the war department, where he remained until March 4, 1851. During his term of office he gave employment to the widows and daughters of deceased army officers who had taken i)art in the Mexican war, and thus intro- duced a custom afterward largely employed. He had editorial cliarge of the Louisville (Ky.) Courier, 1851-52. He was elected in 1868 a mem- ber of the governing board of the Woman's hospital. New York city; was its vice-president, 1881-84, and its president, 1884-88. See his autobiography published in 1888, in which he has preserved valuable information as to the early history of the West, the Mexican war, and the development of transportation in the West. He died in New York city, Dec. 20, 1888.

DAVIS, George Whitefield, soldier, was born in Thompson, Conn., July 26, lb39; son of George and Betsey (Grow) Davis; and grandson of Thomas and Rebecca (Bracket) Davis, and of James and Elizabeth (Edmunds) Grow. He was educated at Nichols academy, Dudley, Mass. , and taught school in Connecticut and Georgia, 1858-61, returning to Con- necticut in Septem- ber, 1861, and enlisting in the 11th Connect- icut volunteers. He was commissioned lieutenant in April, 1862, and captain and major in the staff in 1865. He was com- missioned captain in the 14th U.S. infan- try in 1867 and was an aide-de-camp on the staff of General Sheridan in 1885. He was engaged in engineering construction of military posts and from 1878 to 1885 was engineer in the completion of the W^ashington monument, Washington, D.C., as assistant to General Casey. He was a member of the Greely relief board in 1883. From 1890 to 1893 he was on leave of absence without pay, by .special act of congress, with permission to accept position in the work of con- structing the Nicaragua canal, and was general manager of the work and vice-president of the

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