John Warren Davis

John Warren Davis (March 4, 1867 – February 21, 1945), also known as J. Warren Davis, was an American attorney, Democratic Party politician, and jurist associated with President Woodrow Wilson. He served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 1920 until 1941, taking senior status in 1939 amid allegations that he had been bribed by film producer William Fox. Davis and Fox were tried twice in federal court, each trial ending in a hung jury.

Davis entered politics upon his 1910 election to the New Jersey Senate from Salem County, on a Democratic Party ticket headed by Wilson as the nominee for governor of New Jersey. After Wilson was elected president of the United States in 1912, he appointed Davis as United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. In 1916, Wilson appointed Davis as a United States district judge on the Court for the District of New Jersey, and Wilson elevated him to the Third Circuit in 1920, during his final year as president.

Early life and education

John Warren Davis was born on March 4, 1867 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina to John S. and Emma B. (née Sawyer) Davis.

He lived near Norfolk, Virginia with his family until 1889, when he enrolled at Chester Academy in Pennsylvania to prepare for college. He graduated from Bucknell University in 1896 with a Bachelor of Arts and Crozer Theological Seminary in 1899. After graduating from Crozer, he taught Hebrew and Greek there for three years. At the time, New Jersey was the preferred state of legal incorporation for many national corporations, meaning that his office had jurisdiction over many nationally significant cases and was one of the most powerful within the United States Department of Justice. Fox pleaded guilty on March 28, 1939, prompting Davis to step down from the bench two weeks thereafter. They had two sons. J. Warren Davis Jr. was born on July 30, 1918.

In the late 1930s, Davis served as the chairman of the Board of Trustees of his alma mater Bucknell. The Davis Gymnasium there was named in his honour. During his final years, Davis resided on his farm in Princess Anne County, Virginia.

Davis died on February 21, 1945.