Martin Luther Davey (July 25, 1884March 31, 1946) was an American Democratic politician from Ohio. After serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, he served as the 53rd

governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

Childhood

Davey was born in

Kent, Ohio Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County, Ohio, Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeast Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 28,215 at the 2020 United States ...

, in 1884. His father was John Davey, better known as the tree doctor and founder of the Davey Tree Expert Company. His mother was Bertha Reeves, the daughter of a minister. Martin was one of seven children. His sister Mary and another sibling died before reaching maturity. His surviving siblings were Belle, Wellington, James (Jim), and Paul. Their family struggled with money, leading the young Martin to start making and selling his own

horseradish Horseradish (''Armoracia rusticana'', syn. ''Cochlearia armoracia'') is a perennial plant of the family Brassicaceae (which also includes Mustard plant, mustard, wasabi, broccoli, cabbage, and radish). It is a root vegetable, cultivated and us ...

as a child. All of the profits from this went to help his family. He also helped with his father’s farm and greenhouse. He was an excellent salesman, developing friendships with his customers. He attended a country fair where he heard the famous "Cross of Gold" speech given by

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...

. This led to him wanting to be a politician.

Education

Davey graduated from Kent High School in

. After graduating high school, he worked for a time for the

Oliver Typewriter Company The Oliver Typewriter Company was an American typewriter manufacturer headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The Oliver Typewriter was one of the first "visible print" typewriters, meaning text was visible to the typist as it was entered. Oliver ...

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, Ohio. He made $10.00 a week plus commission. He was an excellent salesman, and soon earned $200.00 a month. He decided to continue his education and attended

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

, where he played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

and was on the track team. He was third in his class, when he stopped his education to help found the family business. He returned to school for a time, until he met and married his wife. The marriage and birth of their first child ended his school career.

Political career

Davey was elected mayor of Kent, serving from 1913 to 1918. In 1918, he was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

to fill the term of Elsworth R. Bathrick. He was re-elected in November, but lost another bid for re-election in 1920. He was re-elected in 1922, 1924 and 1926. In 1928, Davey ran for governor, but was defeated. He ran again in 1934, and won two two-year terms before being defeated in a bid for renomination in 1938 by Charles W. Sawyer. He was the Democratic nominee for governor in 1940, but lost to incumbent Gov. John Bricker.

Family

In 1907 Martin married Berenice Chrisman of Kent. They had three children: Evangeline, Mary Bernice, and Martin Luther Jr. Mary Bernice died in childhood. Evangeline married Alexander M. Smith. Martin L. Jr. went on to work at the family business.

Legacy

Davey's family was known for their company, The Davey Tree Expert Company (founded 1880), located in Kent, Ohio. Davey Elementary School, located adjacent to the John Davey House property in Kent, is named after Davey, his father John, brother Paul, and son Martin, Jr. The Davey Beef Building (erected in 1977 but no longer standing) at the Ohio Expo Center and

State Fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in t ...

in Columbus, Ohio, was named in honor of Davey.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davey, Martin L. Democratic Party governors of Ohio Oberlin College alumni 1884 births 1946 deaths American Disciples of Christ Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio People from Kent, Ohio Mayors of places in Ohio Theodore Roosevelt High School (Kent, Ohio) alumni 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives