Edmund J. Davis

Edmund Jackson Davis ( born October 2, 1827 in St. Augustine, Florida; † 7 February 1883 in Austin, Texas) was an officer of the American Union Army and the 15th Governor of Texas.

Davis was born in Florida, the son of William Godwin and Mary Ann Davis. His father was from South Carolina and worked as a surveyor and attorney in St. Augustine. 1848 the family moved to Galveston, Texas. Here the young Davis worked as a clerk in the post office and studied law. In 1849 he moved to Corpus Christi, worked as a clerk in a store, completed his studies and was still admitted in the same year as a lawyer. In 1853 he was district attorney for the 12th District in Brownsville and in 1856 appointed him Governor Elisha M. Pease to the judge in this district.

On April 6, 1858, he married Anne Elizabeth Britton, daughter of Forbes Britton, a senator and friend of Sam Houston. The couple had two sons.

Davis first belonged to the Whig party, but then moved around 1855 to the Democrats. As a result of his political attitude towards the Confederates he had to leave in May 1862 Texas. He fled with John L. Haynes and William Alexander first to New Orleans and then to Washington, DC, where he met with President Abraham Lincoln, who just aufstellte troops to engage in Texas. On October 26, 1862 Colonel Davis was and was given permission to set up a cavalry regiment, which later the First Texas Cavalry was. After the end of the war, Davis held various public offices, and in 1870 as the successor of Pease governor of Texas. In 1872 he stood for re-election and was confirmed to 1874 in his office. His successor was Richard Coke. In 1880 he stood again for election, but was defeated by Oran M. Roberts.