Professional and Political Career
Davis was a member of the local militia during the American Revolution and a Justice of the Peace for 14 years beginning in 1777. He was elected to the 1st State House, or House of Assembly, and served ten terms from the 1776/77 session through the 1779/80 session, again in the 1782/83 and 1783/84 sessions, and finally from the 1786/87 session through the 1789/90 session. He was the Speaker in the 1788/89 session and when President Thomas Collins died in office on March 29, 1789, the Speaker's office in the State Senate or Legislative Council, was vacant. Consequently, Davis became President. He served until June 2, 1789, when the Delaware General Assembly held a special vote to choose Collins' replacement.
During Davis' short term George Washington was inaugurated the first President of the United States. The event of his passing through Wilmington on the way to New York for this ceremony caused a great deal of excitement, as described by Elizabeth Montgomery in her Reminiscences of Wilmington:
- "and it must have been soon after his elevation to that office, for I well remember the crowds of people rushing onto the Baltimore Road (now Maryland Avenue) to catch a glimpse as he passed...It was a day of great enjoyment, all was on tiptoe of expectation when his chariot appeared, driving slowly through the crowd, he bowing, hat in hand, and white handkerchief waving, and every face flushed, and sparkling with joy."
Afterwards, Davis served as a judge of the Court of Common Pleas from 1789 until 1792 and as a Justice of the Peace from 1793 until his death.
| Delaware General Assembly |
|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Assembly | Senate Majority | Speaker | House Majority | Speaker | ||||||
| 1788/89 | 13th | non-partisan | George Mitchell | non-partisan | vacant | ||||||
Read more about this topic: Jehu Davis
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