John (Jehu) Davis (1738 – May 11, 1802) was an American planter and politician from Mispillion Hundred, in

Kent County, Delaware Kent County is a County (United States), county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 181,851, making it the least populous county in Delaware. The county ...

, west of Milford. He served in the

Delaware General Assembly The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 representatives. It meets at Legi ...

and as President of Delaware.

Early life and family

Davis was born in

Worcester County, Maryland Worcester County is the easternmost county of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,460. Its county seat is Snow Hill. The county is part of the Lower Eastern Shore region of the state. It is the only cou ...

, son of Thomas Davis. His paternal grandfather was born in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. Jehu Davis came to Laurel, Delaware where he married Rhoda Laws. After their marriage they bought ''McSparren,'' a farm in Mispillion Hundred, 3 miles west of Milford, where they settled permanently. There they had eight children, Isaac, John, Henry, Sarah, Rhoda, Nancy, Joshua, and William. After Rhoda's death, Davis married Sarah Douglas. They were members of Christ Episcopal Church in Milford. That portion of Mispillion Hundred became

Milford Hundred Milford Hundred is a hundred in Kent County, Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to ...

in 1830.

Professional and political career

Davis was a member of the local militia during the

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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 In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...

or Legislative Council, was vacant. Consequently, Davis became president. He served until June 2, 1789, when the

held a special vote to choose Collins' replacement. During Davis' short term

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was inaugurated the first

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. The event of his passing through Wilmington on the way to

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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.

Death and legacy

Davis died at ''McSparren,'' in Mispillion Hundred and is buried in the Christ (Savannah) Episcopal Church Cemetery. The cemetery is now paved over by Delaware Route 14. A man from Wales who came to America paved the road for the all-time greatest American Family. No known portrait of Jehu Davis exists.

Almanac

Elections were held October 1 and members of the General Assembly took office on October 20 or the following weekday. State Assemblymen had a one-year term. The whole General Assembly chose the State President for a three-year term. However, Davis served as State President only temporarily, filling the vacancy created by the death of Thomas Collins and awaiting the selection of a successor by the General Assembly. Judges of the Courts of Common Pleas were also selected by the General Assembly for the life of the person appointed.

References

* * * * * * *

External links

Delaware's Governors

Places with more information

* Delaware Historical Society
website
505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161. *

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

Library website
181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965. {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Jehu 1738 births 1802 deaths People from Worcester County, Maryland American people of Welsh descent Delaware Federalists Delaware independents Governors of Delaware Independent state governors of the United States Members of the Delaware House of Representatives People from Kent County, Delaware People of Delaware in the American Revolution Delaware militiamen in the American Revolution American planters People from Laurel, Delaware People from colonial Delaware Speakers of the Delaware House of Representatives 19th-century American Episcopalians