Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/172

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DAVIS


DAVIS


retary of the American academy of fine arts, afterward known as the National academy of design. Notewortliy among the public buildings designed by him are the executive department and patent office, Washington, D.C.; the capitols at Springfield, 111. (1S87), Indianapolis, Ind. (1837), Columbus, Ohio (1839), and Raleigh, N.C. (1840); the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; and the Virginia military institute, Lexington. He was elected an associate of the National academy of design in 1827. He died at Llewellyn Park, N.J., Jan. 14, 1892.

DAVIS, Andrew Jackson, atithor, was born in Blooming Grove, Orange county, N.Y., Aug. 11, 1826; son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Robinson) DavLs. His father, a shoemaker, removed to Pouglikeepsie, N.Y., and there the boy developed extraordinary clairvoyant powers about 1843—45. He was able, although entirely uneducated, to converse on subjects pertaining to medicine, psychology and kindred topics. After a trance of sixteen hours he claimed to have received in- struction as to his future teaching and he dictated to the Rev. "William Fishbough of New York in 1845-40 his first work, " The Principles of Nature, Her Divine Revelations, and a Voice to Man- kind," while clairvoyant. In 1883 he was gradu- ated M.D. from the United States medical college of New York city, and became a practitioner in Boston, Mass. His published works include; The Great Harmonia (5 vols., 1850); Philosophy of Spiritual Intercourse (1851); The Present Age and Inner Life (1854); The Approaching Crisis; Hie Penetralia (1856); The Magic Staff, an Autobiogra- phy (1857); The Harbinger of Health (1862); Morn- ing Lectures (1865); Death and the After Life; Stellar Key to the Summer Land (1867); Arabula, or the Divine Guest (1867); Memoranda of Persons, Places and Events (1868); The Fountain with New Jets of Meaning (1870); Mental Diseases and Dis- orders of the Brain (1871).

DAVIS, Andrew McFarland, author, was born in Worcester, ^lass., Dec. 30, 1833; son of John and Eliza (Bancroft) Davis. His father was governor of Massachu.setts and U.S. sena- tor, and his mother a sister of George Bancroft, the historian. He was graduated from Harvard S.B. in 1854, was admitted to the bar in 1859 and practised in Worcester for a few years, when he joined his brother Horace in San Fran- cisco, Cal., engaging with him in manufacturing. He was elected a fellow of the American academy of sciences. Harvard confprred upon him the degree of A.M. in 1893. He published: Journey of Moncacht-Ape (1883); Indian Games (1886); An Historical Study of Laic's System (1887); Provincial Banks, Land and Silver (1895); and contributed several articles to Justin Winsor's Narrative and Critiral History of America.


DAVIS, Arthur Powell, hydrographical en- gineer, was born in Decatur, Macon county, 111., Feb. 9, 1861; son of John and Martha (Powell) Davis: grandson of Joseph Davis and of Joseph Powell; and nephew of Maj. J. W. Powell, director of the U.S. geological survey. He was graduated at the Junction City higli school in 1878 and at the State normal school of Kansas in 1882. He was assistant topographer on the U.S. geological survey, 1882-84, and full topogra- pher for the survey from 1884. He was en- gaged in geodetic triangulation and astronomi- cal work, and topographic mapping of territory in New Mexico, Arizona and Soutliern California, 1884-94. He received the degree of B.S. from Corcoran scientific school in 1888. In 1894 he was assigned to duty in the division of hydrog- raphy and surveyed and established stations for stream measurements and for investigating hj-drographic problems in the arid regions of the United States, and was given charge of all the stream measurements conducted by the U.S. geological survey. In December, 1897, he was detailed by President McKinley as expert hy- drographer in connection with the Nicaragua canal commission, having entire charge of stream measurement and water supph', and received from congress an extra allowance of §500 as bonus for his work. He was married in 1888 to Elizabeth Brown. He was elected an associate member of the American society of civil engineers June 7, 1893. He is the author of: Tables for Obtaining Differences of Altitude (1893); Plan of a System of Irrigation for the Gila Piver Indian Peservation in Arizona (1895), published by order of the U.S. senate; Irrigation near Pha'nix, Arizona (1896); Piver Heights for 1S96 (1897); Reports of Progress of Stream Measurements (1898); Water Supply and Irrigation on the Potomac Basin (1899); and Hydrog- raphy of Nicaragua (1099).

DAVIS, Boothe Colwell, educator, was born in Jane Lew, AV. Va., July 12, 1863; son of Samuel D. and Elizabetli (Randolph) Davis; grandson of Jacob Davis; and of Welsh and English ances- try. He was prepared for college at the public schools and at the State normal school, Fair- mont, W. Va., and was graduated A.B. from Alfred university in 1890. He then took a course in theology and was graduated D.B. from Yale university in 1893. He received the Ph.D. degree from the National normal university in 1897. He was pastor of First Seventli-day Baptist church, Alfred, N.Y., 1893-95; president of Alfred uni- versity and professor of philosophy in that insti- tution from 1895; and a member of the college council of the University of the state of New York, 1897-1900. He became a member of the National education association in 1896 and con- tributed to educational periodicals.