William H. Davis

William H. Davis (November 27, 1848 – March 24, 1938) was an American educator and school administrator in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Davis was the first formal teacher of Booker T. Washington, and he was the first and only African-American candidate for governor of West Virginia, running for the office in 1888.

Davis was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1848. He was educated in public schools in Columbus and Chillicothe. After graduation, he enlisted in the 7th Independent Company of the Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, known as the Union Light Guard, in the Union Army. Davis's unit was a cavalry regiment that guarded President Abraham Lincoln and was stationed in Washington, D.C., during the American Civil War. He was honorably discharged in 1865 following surgery due to an infection of the mastoid part of his temporal bone. Following the war, he operated a steamboat between Gallipolis, Charleston, and Brownstown.

In September 1865, he began boarding with Reverend Lewis Rice in the Tinkersville section of Malden. Rice hired Davis as a schoolteacher at the privately run Tinkersville school, with classes being held in Rice's home at first. Davis was the first teacher of Booker T. Washington at the Tinkersville school. In 1871, Davis was hired to serve as principal of Charleston's African-American schools. Davis served as principal for a total of 24 years and continued to teach. He retired from teaching in 1913, having taught for 47 years.

In 1888, the Colored Independent Party nominated Davis as the party's gubernatorial candidate in the 1888 elections. The party organized in opposition to the Republican Party because of its refusal to recognize West Virginia's African-American voters and advocated for an end to school segregation. Davis became the first African American nominated as a candidate for West Virginia governor, and is the only African-American gubernatorial candidate in the state's history. When Booker T. Washington was honored at a 1937 Tuskegee University anniversary celebration, Davis was invited and attended as a guest of honor.

Early life and education William H. Davis was born in Columbus, Ohio, on November 27, 1848. Davis's father and his maternal grandfather were active supporters of the Underground Railroad, providing refuge and food for slaves escaping from the Southern United States. Davis was raised in Columbus and was educated in the public school system until the age of 13, when he relocated to Chillicothe from 1861 to 1863 to study English education at public schools. Davis's unit was a cavalry regiment, variously known as the "President's Escort" and "Lincoln's Body Guard", that guarded President Abraham Lincoln and was stationed at Washington, D.C., during the war. While in the hospital, the physicians incised and drained the infected area, and Davis was afterward honorably discharged from his duty at Camp Todd Barracks in Washington, D.C., on June 24, 1865, a few months after the war's conclusion. Davis operated this boat for about a month, ), near Charleston. Port Amherst is centered at the present-day intersection of U.S. Route 60, Tinkersville Drive, and Port Amherst Drive.

Career in education

At the time of Davis's arrival in September 1865, When Davis commenced his tenure there, the schools were located in a two-room building on Quarrier Street and had an enrollment of around 100 students.

Davis was in charge of Charleston's African-American schools for 31 years,

Gubernatorial campaign In September 1888, 49 African-American delegates formed the Colored Independent Party at a convention in Charleston, which then selected its state executive committee and nominated its state ticket for the 1888 elections. The party nominated Davis as their candidate for West Virginia governor, leading the party's state ticket. At the time of his death in 1938, Davis had four living daughters—Mamie, Josephine, Inez, and Fannie—and 17 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and 6 great-great-grandchildren. For many years, Davis served as the financial and recording secretary for the First Baptist Church.

Following the death of Booker T. Washington, Davis wrote a poem in 1916 entitled "Battle Hymn of the Negro" dedicated to Washington's memory. The poem was written to the tune of Julia Ward Howe's "Battle Hymn of the Republic". According to Davis, his post had been in possession of a battered U.S. flag with an inscription of the GAR's Department of West Virginia. In November 1937, Davis participated in Charleston's Armistice Day celebration and marched with American Civil War veterans. Davis's funeral service was held at Charleston's First Baptist Church on March 27, 1938, Davis was buried wearing his Union Army uniform. The inscription of this marker reads: "Born in Ohio in 1848, Davis served during the Civil War in the Union Light Guard of Ohio that was tasked with protecting President Lincoln. After the war, he moved to present-day Malden and later Charleston, where he served as an educator. His most noted student was Booker T. Washington. He became the first African-American candidate to run for governor in 1888. Died in 1938." The marker is located along Kanawha Boulevard West, at the Mary C. Snow West Side Elementary School in Charleston.