James H. Davis (congressman)
Encyclopedia
James H. "Cyclone" Davis (December 24, 1853–January 31, 1940) was a Populist Party
organizer and a Democratic
Congressman from Texas for one term from 1915–1917.
. He moved to Texas with his parents, William Barton and Salina (Moore) Davis, who settled in East Texas in Wood County
near Winnsboro, in 1857. Davis attended the common schools and taught school from 1875 to 1878. He was able to study under the tutelage of attorney John D. Templeton during his sixteenth year. He strenuously applied his native talents to academics at night and soon qualified for a teaching certificate. He married Belle Barton, a distant cousin, on December 25, 1878. The couple had four children.
in 1878 as a Democrat. At the time he was the youngest county judge in Texas. Subsequently, he studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1882 and commenced practice in Mount Vernon, Texas
. Later, he engaged in the newspaper-publishing business, buying the Mount Vernon-Franklin Herald and was President of the Texas Press Association from 1886-1888.
Although he was a passable writer, his real talent lay in oratory. He campaigned for John Ireland
, who was elected Governor in 1884, and Davis became a lecturer for the state Farmers' Alliance that same year. Davis became one of the foremost attractions on the alliance speakers' circuit through his verbal assaults upon such opponents as banks and corporations. During the 1880s he was tagged "Methodist Jim" for the fervency of his address. He was neither a Methodist nor a preacher, but a lifelong member of the Disciples of Christ.
When President Grover Cleveland
blamed the Democratic party's support of the coinage of silver for his failure to win the presidency in 1888, Davis left the party. He also sold the Franklin Herald and in 1889 founded the Sulphur Springs Alliance Vindicator. He campaigned for Democrat Jim Hogg in his gubernatorial bid in 1890 because the Farmers' Alliance endorsed him. Thereafter, Davis cast his fortunes with the Populist Party. He was one of only five lawyers to participate in the founding convention of the People's party in Cincinnati in 1892, where he served on both the executive and platform committees.
He received the nickname "Cyclone" from an 1894 debate with Kentucky Attorney General Watt Hardin
. According to an Associated Press reporter, Davis so demolished his opponent that only one sweep of the "Texas Cyclone" was sufficient cause for Hardin to cancel the remaining scheduled debates.
Cyclone Davis was an unsuccessful Populist candidate for Attorney General of Texas in 1892 and he was influential in the formation of the Populist Party, serving as organizer and committeeman from 1892 to 1900. He ran for Congress as a Populist candidate for election in 1894, but he was defeated. He declined the appointment as Superintendent of Agriculture for the Philippines
in 1914. He was elected as a Democrat to the 64th United States Congress
(1915–1917) defeating incumbent Democrat Daniel E. Garrett
of Houston
.
and engaged in Chautauqua
work and prohibition work after 1916. He joined the second Ku Klux Klan
in his later years. In 1932 he came out of political retirement to oppose Joseph W. Bailey, Jr., for congressman-at-large in the Democratic primaries. The elder Joseph W. Bailey had been a vehement foe of Populism in the 1890s. Davis lost in the runoff primary. He legally changed his name to "James Harvey Cyclone Davis" in 1932. He remarried in 1935, after his first wife died, and moved to Kaufman, Texas
, where he died on January 31, 1940. Cyclone Davis was buried in the City Cemetery of Sulphur Springs, Texas.
Populist Party (United States)
The People's Party, also known as the "Populists", was a short-lived political party in the United States established in 1891. It was most important in 1892-96, then rapidly faded away...
organizer and a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Congressman from Texas for one term from 1915–1917.
Early life
Davis was born near Walhalla, South CarolinaWalhalla, South Carolina
Walhalla is a mountain city in Oconee County, South Carolina, United States. It is located from Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina and is also located in the Appalachian Mountains of South Carolina. The population was 3,801 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Oconee County...
. He moved to Texas with his parents, William Barton and Salina (Moore) Davis, who settled in East Texas in Wood County
Wood County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 36,752 people, 14,583 households, and 10,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 56 people per square mile . There were 17,939 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...
near Winnsboro, in 1857. Davis attended the common schools and taught school from 1875 to 1878. He was able to study under the tutelage of attorney John D. Templeton during his sixteenth year. He strenuously applied his native talents to academics at night and soon qualified for a teaching certificate. He married Belle Barton, a distant cousin, on December 25, 1878. The couple had four children.
Politics: Populist and Democrat
He was elected judge of Franklin County, TexasFranklin County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,458 people, 3,754 households, and 2,732 families residing in the county. The population density was 33 people per square mile . There were 5,132 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
in 1878 as a Democrat. At the time he was the youngest county judge in Texas. Subsequently, he studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1882 and commenced practice in Mount Vernon, Texas
Mount Vernon, Texas
Mount Vernon is a town in Franklin County, Texas, United States. It is the Franklin County seat, and the population was 2,286 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mount Vernon is located at ....
. Later, he engaged in the newspaper-publishing business, buying the Mount Vernon-Franklin Herald and was President of the Texas Press Association from 1886-1888.
Although he was a passable writer, his real talent lay in oratory. He campaigned for John Ireland
John Ireland (politician)
John Ireland was the 18th Governor of Texas from 1883 to 1887. During Ireland's term, the University of Texas was established, and construction on the Texas State Capitol began...
, who was elected Governor in 1884, and Davis became a lecturer for the state Farmers' Alliance that same year. Davis became one of the foremost attractions on the alliance speakers' circuit through his verbal assaults upon such opponents as banks and corporations. During the 1880s he was tagged "Methodist Jim" for the fervency of his address. He was neither a Methodist nor a preacher, but a lifelong member of the Disciples of Christ.
When President Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
blamed the Democratic party's support of the coinage of silver for his failure to win the presidency in 1888, Davis left the party. He also sold the Franklin Herald and in 1889 founded the Sulphur Springs Alliance Vindicator. He campaigned for Democrat Jim Hogg in his gubernatorial bid in 1890 because the Farmers' Alliance endorsed him. Thereafter, Davis cast his fortunes with the Populist Party. He was one of only five lawyers to participate in the founding convention of the People's party in Cincinnati in 1892, where he served on both the executive and platform committees.
He received the nickname "Cyclone" from an 1894 debate with Kentucky Attorney General Watt Hardin
Parker Watkins Hardin
Parker Watkins Hardin was a politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. From 1879 to 1888, he served as Attorney General of Kentucky. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Kentucky in 1891, 1895 and 1899....
. According to an Associated Press reporter, Davis so demolished his opponent that only one sweep of the "Texas Cyclone" was sufficient cause for Hardin to cancel the remaining scheduled debates.
Cyclone Davis was an unsuccessful Populist candidate for Attorney General of Texas in 1892 and he was influential in the formation of the Populist Party, serving as organizer and committeeman from 1892 to 1900. He ran for Congress as a Populist candidate for election in 1894, but he was defeated. He declined the appointment as Superintendent of Agriculture for the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
in 1914. He was elected as a Democrat to the 64th United States Congress
64th United States Congress
The Sixty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1915 to March 4, 1917, during the third and fourth...
(1915–1917) defeating incumbent Democrat Daniel E. Garrett
Daniel E. Garrett
Daniel Edward Garrett was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Texas, elected at-large and later from the 8th District of Texas.-Early life and career in politics:...
of Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
.
Out of office
Garrett returned the favor two years later and defeated Davis in a rematch. Davis returned to his home in Sulphur SpringsSulphur Springs, Texas
Sulphur Springs is a city in Hopkins County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 14,551. It is the county seat of Hopkins County.-Geography:Sulphur Springs is located at ....
and engaged in Chautauqua
Chautauqua
Chautauqua was an adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with...
work and prohibition work after 1916. He joined the second Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
in his later years. In 1932 he came out of political retirement to oppose Joseph W. Bailey, Jr., for congressman-at-large in the Democratic primaries. The elder Joseph W. Bailey had been a vehement foe of Populism in the 1890s. Davis lost in the runoff primary. He legally changed his name to "James Harvey Cyclone Davis" in 1932. He remarried in 1935, after his first wife died, and moved to Kaufman, Texas
Kaufman, Texas
Kaufman is a city in Kaufman County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,490 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Kaufman County.-Geography:Kaufman is located at ....
, where he died on January 31, 1940. Cyclone Davis was buried in the City Cemetery of Sulphur Springs, Texas.
Sources
- Davis, Cyclone. Memoir Sherman, Tex.: The Courier Press, 1935.
- Texas Handbook Online, Texas State Historical Association.