Royal Page Davidson - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Royal Page Davidson was an American educator

Education

Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...

and inventor.

Early life

Davidson was born in Somerville, New Jersey

Somerville, New Jersey

Somerville is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 12,098. It is the county seat of Somerset County....

on October 9, 1870. His early basic education was in a country public school.

Mid life

Davidson attended the Massachusetts Agricultural College and the University of Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin–Madison

The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...

. He also attended Northwestern Military and Naval Academy

Northwestern Military and Naval Academy

Northwestern Military Academy was a high school in Linn, Wisconsin which was founded by Harlan Page Davidson. Originally located in Highland Park, Illinois, the school was relocated to the town of Linn, Wisconsin on the south shore of Geneva Lake near the city of Lake Geneva in 1915 and was...

and graduated from there in 1889.

Northwestern Military Academy

Davidson was commandant

Commandant

Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...

of Northwestern Military and Naval Academy from 1892 to 1912. He was its secretary and treasurer from 1912 to 1914. Davidson was their superintendent

Superintendent (education)

In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....

and president from 1914 to 1935. His father Harlan Page Davidson

Harlan Page Davidson

Harlan Page Davidson was an educator in private education.-Early life:Davidson was born in Hooksett, New Hampshire. The census records show his parents moved to Colebrook, New Hampshire around 1840. His early education was limited to a few weeks during winter in a country public school...

started the Academy.

Bicycle Corp

Davidson organized the first military Bicycle Corps in 1894. It consisted of cadets from the Northwestern Military Academy. Davidson developed the military bicycle corps in the hope that the bicycle would speed up the movement of troops. Davidson staged a cross-country 850 mile expedition to Washington, D.C in the summer of 1897. The maneuvers were done in a military practice as if the Bicycle Corps were traveling in enemy territory. The expedition took 15 days and had much national publicity. Davidson offered the government the services of his Bicycle Corps when the Spanish-American War

Spanish-American War

The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...

broke out. He was turned down since the military bicycles had minimum firepower and showed it left the bicycle-rider exposed to retaliation. The new automobile that was being innovated at the time showed better combat possibilities, if it could be properly armed and protected against enemy firepower.

Armored cars

Davidson was the leading pioneer of armored military vehicles in the United States starting in 1898. He is described as the inventor of the first military vehicle in United States. He made a three-wheeled automobile armed with a gun carriage

Davidson-Duryea gun carriage

The Davidson-Duryea gun carriage was a 3 and 4 wheeled armed armored vehicle manufactured in 1898 and 1899 for military use.- Development history :...

in 1899. There were many newspaper articles at the time with imaginative stories and drawings of Davidson's military vehicle. Davidson's gasoline military vehicle was much simpler than their futuristic drawings. Later it was developed into the Automobile Battery armored car

Davidson Auto Battery armored car

The Davidson Automobile Battery armored car was a further development of the Davidson-Duryea gun carriage, but with steam power. It was built by Royal Page Davidson and the cadets of the Northwestern Military and Naval Academy in Highland Park, Illinois. Davidson designed this vehicle in 1901...

. Today's historians can trace the lineage of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle back to Davidson's vehicles. Davidson is considered "The Father of American armored cars."

Davidson contributed to various journals that were associated with the military and science. He was an inventor of various military equipment, including a military vehicle radio. He even designed the first field hospital automobile with X-ray equipment.

Fraternities and clubs

Davidson was associated with the Delta Union and the Delta Upilon Fraternity. He was also a member of the Pines Crest Lakes Club of Avon Park, Florida; Union League Club of Chicago; Army and Navy Club of Chicago; University of Wisconsin Club of Chicago; and the Big Foot Country Club of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. He was also a Colonel in the Reserve Corps of the United States Army. He was also president of the North Central Academic Association of Colonial Illinois National Guard. He was also associated with the Union League Club, the National Geographic Society, and the Navy League.

Later life and death

Davidson died on January 16, 1943. He is buried at the Northwestern Military and Naval Academy