Rowland L. Davis (July 11, 1871 - February 2, 1954) was a

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Justice.

Early life

Davis, of

Cortland, New York Cortland is a city and the county seat of Cortland County, New York, United States. Known as the Crown City, Cortland is in New York's Southern Tier region. As of 2024, the estimated population of Cortland, New York, is 17,196, reflecting a dec ...

, was born in Dryden,

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, New York, on July 11, 1871. He was the son of Lucius Davis (1835-1912) and Harriet (Francis) Davis (1839-1915.) Davis attended the district school near McLean and graduated from the Cortland Normal School (today

SUNY Cortland The State University of New York at Cortland (SUNY Cortland, C-State, or Cortland State) is a public university in Cortland, New York. It was founded in 1868 and is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. History The State Univ ...

). While at the normal school he became a member of the Young Men's Debating Club (later to be known as the

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.) Davis then graduated from

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in 1897. He was admitted to the bar on July 6, 1897.

Legal career

Davis practiced law from 1897 to 1915. From 1897 to 1902, Davis practiced law in Cortland with Bronson & Davis and from 1902 until 1915 with Davis & Lusk. In March 1899, he was elected a police justice of the Village of Cortland, and when the village first became a city, he was elected first city judge in 1903. Justice Davis was elected to the New York Supreme Court in 1915 and was designated an associate justice of the Appellate Division, Fourth Department in 1921. Davis was a justice of the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court, 1921-39 (4th Department 1921-26, 3rd Department 1926-31, 2nd Department 1931-39.) He retired from the bench in March, 1939, moving on to two years of trial work in the 6th District before final retirement on March 31, 1941. He was a Republican.

Personal life

Davis was married to Iva A. Yager Davis (1883 - 1963). According to his

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Application dated Sept 26, 1932 National #52752 he was a descendant of John Lane Davis and Dolor Davis. On that same application he lists 2 children: Rowland Jr born Aug 3, 1907 and Harriet born May 2, 1910.

Death

Justice Rowland L. Davis died in Cortland, N.Y. on February 2, 1954. He was 82 years old. He was buried at the

Cortland Rural Cemetery The Cortland Rural Cemetery is located in Cortland, New York, United States. A non-profit, non-denominational cemetery established in 1853, the still operational cemetery has a physical footprint of approximately and features the attributes typi ...

References

Sources

*The Cortland Normal News, February 1893, Volume 15, No. 6, page 19.
Political Graveyard.comThe Delphic Fraternity, Inc.
* ttp://www.courts.state.ny.us/ad3/history.pdf THE HISTORY AND JUSTICES OF THE NYS APPELLATE DIVISION, THIRD DEPARTMENT {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Rowland L. 1871 births 1954 deaths New York Supreme Court justices Cornell Law School alumni New York (state) Republicans