William Taylor Davidson

William Taylor Davidson (February 8, 1837 – January 3, 1915) was the owner and editor of the Fulton Democrat newspaper from 1858 to 1915. He was a staunch supporter of Stephen A. Douglas and a strong advocate for the views of the Peace Democrats or Copperheads during the American Civil War.

Early life and education

William T. Davidson was born on February 8, 1837, in Petersburg, Illinois, to Isham Gillham Davidson and Sarah Ann Springer. In the fall of 1838, the family moved from Petersburg to Lewistown, Illinois, where William acquired a limited education in the district school. He began his schooling at age 4 and typically attended 2–3 months per year, sometimes missing entire years. William left school at the age of 12 in order to earn a living, working with his father as a transporter of produce, merchandise, and building materials. However, a weak arm and general physical frailty led him to give up this strenuous occupation, and he became an apprentice and compositor for local newspapers, including the Fulton Republican, Peoria Daily Herald, and Peoria Transcript.

Marriage and children

William Davidson married Lucinda M. Miner in Fulton County, Illinois on January 24, 1860. The couple had seven children: Harold L., Bertha B., Frances M., Lulu M., Maude G., Mabel, and Nellie (the latter two died in infancy).

Professional life

In 1856, at the age of 19, Davidson became involved with the operation of the Fulton Democrat, which had been established by his older brother, James M. Davidson. On November 12, 1858, William Davidson assumed ownership and editorship of the newspaper, taking over after James Davidson's retirement. Davidson played a prominent role in the movement to keep Lewistown as the county seat, and he spearheaded the rebuilding of the Fulton County court house in Lewistown after a fire of uncertain origin demolished the building on December 14, 1894. Davidson also supported the establishment of a number of local industries, including a woolen mill, an iron foundry, and a canning factory.

In an address to the Illinois State Historical Society, published in the society's transactions in 1908, Davidson reminisced about men he had known in the Illinois Military Tract. These included Stephen A. Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, Edward Dickinson Baker, James Shields, Peter Cartwright, William Kellogg, Lewis Winans Ross, Leonard Fulton Ross, William C. Goudy, William Pitt Kellogg, Chauncey L. Higbee, and Robert G. Ingersoll. Davidson had first met many of these individuals, including Lincoln, Douglas, and Cartwright, during his childhood, when they were frequent guests of his parents. During the Civil War, Davidson espoused the anti-war Peace Democrat or Copperhead point of view in his newspaper editorials, arguing, for example, that military officers desired to prolong the war because they were earning high salaries.

Davidson later changed his opinion of Lincoln, conceding that Lincoln was "the greatest man in American history" and that he had been "especially raised up for the work he performed while president." Edgar Lee Masters also believed that Davidson had prevented Hardin Masters from receiving a nomination to Congress. The brochure also shows the location of the grave of Margaret George Davidson, who was the basis for the characters of Julia Miller, Amelia Garrick, and Caroline Bronson in Masters' anthology. Two silhouettes of Edgar Lee Masters are located near the Davidson family's monument in the cemetery, signifying that William and Margaret Davidson were related to characters in the anthology.