Manuscript Group 428
JOHN T. DAVIS PAPERS
1920-1925
1 cubic foot
John T. Davis served as the Director of Prohibition in Pennsylvania from 1922
to 1923. Born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Davis attended the Preparatory
School at Bucknell, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Wake Forest College,
North Carolina, in 1900. After completing his training at Princeton Theological
Seminary, he was ordained as a minister in 1903. Following his ordination, Davis
served five years on the Blairsville School Board in Pennsylvania, three of those
years as the secretary. He was also an Associational Missionary under the State
Baptist Convention for three years. He was active in the Y.M.C.A. of Blairsville,
Pennsylvania before his election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
in 1918. He was reelected in 1920, but resigned his post in January 27, 1922,
to accept the position of Director of Prohibition. After serving only two years
as director, he resigned from this duty. Little information is available regarding
his later years; however, records indicate that Davis moved back to Elizabeth
City, North Carolina, in 1939 and resided there until his death in 1941.
The various articles, letters, and official manuscripts not only pertain to the
years that Davis was the director of Prohibition, but also contain items about
Prohibition during the years 1920 to 1925.
