John Madison Davy (June 29, 1835 – April 21, 1909) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Born in

Bytown Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a sod ...

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

(now known as

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

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), Davy moved to New York with his parents, who settled near Rochester, Monroe County, in 1835. He attended the common schools and the Monroe Academy, East Henrietta, New York. He served in the Union Army during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

as a first lieutenant in Company G, One Hundred and Eighth Regiment, Volunteer Infantry, in 1862 and 1863. He studied law in Rochester. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1863 and commenced practice in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

. He served as district attorney of Monroe County 1868-1872. He served as collector of customs for the port of Genesee from 1872 until his resignation in 1875. Davy was elected as a Republican to the Forty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1876 to the Forty-fifth Congress. He resumed the practice of law. Davy was elected justice of the supreme court of New York and served from January 1, 1889, until his retirement in 1905. He again resumed the practice of law. He died in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, April 21, 1909. He was interred in Mount Hope Cemetery,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davy, John Madison 1835 births 1909 deaths Union army officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) County district attorneys in New York (state) 19th-century New York (state) politicians 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives