Delos Davis
Encyclopedia
Delos Rogest Davis was the first black lawyer
in Canada
. Davis came from the Colchester Township, Ontario area, and was the son of James Davis, a former slave
from Virginia
.
He was born in Maryland
in 1846, the son of James Davis, a slave who came to Colchester Township, Canada West via the Underground Railroad
. He taught school and then began to study law with Gordon Watts Leggatt and Charles Robert Horne of Windsor
. In 1868, Davis married Nancy Jane Mitchell. He qualified to practice as a notary public
in 1873. Since he was not able to find a law office that was willing to let him article with them, in 1884, William Douglas Balfour introduced a special act allowing Davis to practice as a solicitor if he passed the required Law Society of Upper Canada
test. A second special act allowed Davis to become a barrister and he was called to the bar in 1886.
On November 10, 1910, the Ontario Government appointed him a King’s Counsel
, "the first Black so appointed in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the British Dominions
".
He set up practice in Amherstburg
in 1887. From 1900 to 1905, he practiced with his son Frederick Homer Alphonso, who had graduated from Osgoode Hall
. In 1907, he married Mary Jane Banks; his first wife had died in 1893 during childbirth. Davis was named King's Council in 1910, the year after he retired from practice. He died at home near Amherstburg in 1915.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Davis came from the Colchester Township, Ontario area, and was the son of James Davis, a former slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
He was born in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
in 1846, the son of James Davis, a slave who came to Colchester Township, Canada West via the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
. He taught school and then began to study law with Gordon Watts Leggatt and Charles Robert Horne of Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
. In 1868, Davis married Nancy Jane Mitchell. He qualified to practice as a notary public
Notary public
A notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...
in 1873. Since he was not able to find a law office that was willing to let him article with them, in 1884, William Douglas Balfour introduced a special act allowing Davis to practice as a solicitor if he passed the required Law Society of Upper Canada
Law Society of Upper Canada
The Law Society of Upper Canada is responsible for the self-regulation of lawyers and paralegals in the Canadian province of Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1797, it is known in French as "Le Barreau du Haut-Canada"...
test. A second special act allowed Davis to become a barrister and he was called to the bar in 1886.
On November 10, 1910, the Ontario Government appointed him a King’s Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
, "the first Black so appointed in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the British Dominions
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
".
He set up practice in Amherstburg
Amherstburg, Ontario
Amherstburg is a Canadian town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario. It is approximately south of the U.S...
in 1887. From 1900 to 1905, he practiced with his son Frederick Homer Alphonso, who had graduated from Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto constructed between 1829 and 1832 in the late Georgian Palladian and Neoclassical styles. It houses the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Divisional Court of the Superior Court of Justice, and the Law Society of Upper Canada...
. In 1907, he married Mary Jane Banks; his first wife had died in 1893 during childbirth. Davis was named King's Council in 1910, the year after he retired from practice. He died at home near Amherstburg in 1915.