MSS 339 Martin L. Davey Papers

              OHlO
H I S T O R Y
C o l l e c t i o n S y n o p s i s
MSS 339
Martin L . Davey P a p e r s
2- 314 c u b i c f e e t
S t a n d a r d i n v e n t o r y
P r o v e n a n c e : The Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y a c q u i r e d t h e Martin L .
Davey P a p e r s as a g i f t of Mrs. Alexander S m i t h , d a u g h t e r o f
Martin L . Davey, in 1970. P e t e r Lundskow p r o c e s s e d t h e c o l l e c t i o n
in May 1985.
P r o p e r t y r i g h t s : The Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y owns t h e p r o p e r t y
r i g h t s t o t h i s c o l l e c t i o n .
C o p y r i g h t s : Mrs. Alexander Smith has d e d i c a t e d such c o p y r i g h t s a s
she p o s s e s s e s i n t h i s c o l l e c t i o n t o t h e p u b l i c . C o n s i d e r a t i o n of
a i l o t h e r c o p y r i g h t s i s t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of t, he a u t h o r and
pub1 i s h e r .
Access: T h i s c o l l e c t i o n i s open under t h e r u l e s and r e g u l a t i o n s
of t h e Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y .
C i t a t i o n : R e s e a r c h e r s a r e r e q u e s t e d t o c i t e c o l l e c t i o n name,
c o l l e c t i o n number, and t h e Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y i n a l l f o o t n o t e
and b i b l i o g r a p h i c r e f e r e n c e s .
B i o g r a p h i c a l s k e t c h : Martin L u t h e r Davey was born i n Kent, Ohio,
on J u l y 25, ' 1884. He was t h e second o f s e v e n c h i l d r e n of John and
B e r t h a Davey who had e m i g r a t e d f r o m E n g l a n d in 1873. John Davey
Organized t h e Davey Tree E x p e r t Company which q a i n e d him t h e t i t l e
Of t h e " F a t h e r of Tree S u r g e r y . " Davey e n t e r e d O b e r l i n C o l l e q e in
1906 b u t dropped o u t i n 1907 t o become a b u s i n e s s p a r t n e r w i t h h i s
f a t h e r . T h a t same y e a r he m a r r i e d B e r e n i c e Chrisman a l s o o f Kent.
In 1913 Davey was e l e c t e d Mayor of Kent f o r which h e s e r v e d t h r e e
s u c c e s s i v e t e r m s . He in turn ran and was e l e c t e d t o Congress
s e r v i n g from 1918 t o 1932, o n l y being o u t o f o f f i c e in 1922. Davey
was n o m i n a t e d i n 1928 a s t h e Democratic c a n d i d a t e f o r g o v e r n o r b u t
was d e f e a t e d by Republican Myers Y . Cooper i n t h e g e n e r a l e l e c t i o n .
Davey ran f o r g o v e r n o r a second t i m e i n 1934, and d e f e a t e d C l a r e n c e
J . Brown. Davey's f i r s t term was f r o u g h t w i t h c o n f l i c t ; he was a t
Odds w i t h b o t h t h e Ohio l e g i s l a t u r e and P r e s i d e n t R o o s e v e l t . When
t h e l e g i s l a t u r e r e f u s e d t o a p p r o p r i a t e f u n d s t o r e f u r b i s h Davey's
o f f i c e o r p u r c h a s e a new l i m o u s i n e he s o l i c i t e d p r i v a t e c o n t r i b u t i o n s
and a l l o c a t e d funds from t h e N a t i o n a l Guard. Davey c h a r g e d t h e
f e d e r a l r e l i e f system t o be inhuman and w a s t e f u l , t o which t h e
R o o s e v e l t a d m i n i s t r a t i o n s a i d Davey was r e s p o n s i b l e f o r c o r r u p t
i n t e r f e r e n c e i n t h a t r e l i e f program in Ohio. I n 1 9 3 6 , a f t e r t h e
l e g i s l a t u r e r e f u s e d t o a c t on a r e p e a l of t h e s t a t e s a l e s t a x on
food f o r consumption o f f p r e m i s e s , Davey t o o k t h e i s s u e d i r e c t l y
t o t h e v o t e r s as a c o n s t i t u t i o n a l amendment which passed o v e r -
w h e l m i n g l y . T h i s i s s u e h e l p e d Davey gain a s e c o n d t e r m d u r i n g t h a t
same y e a r .
OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
1982 hvenue, co! umbui, ohio 43211- 2497 ph: 614.297.2300 fx: 614.297.2' 11
rwww. ohiahiatary. arg