Downtown Austin in Travis County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Governor Edmund Jackson Davis
October 2, 1827 February 7, 1883
Photographed by Keith Peterson, September 3, 2007
1. Governor Edmund Jackson Davis Marker
Born in Florida, E.J. Davis became a lawyer and judge after moving to Texas. During the Civil War (1861-65), he commanded a regiment of Texas Unionists and rose to the rank of Brigadier General.
During the Reconstruction era, Davis led the radical wing of the Texas Republican Party. In Nov. 1869 he narrowly defeated moderate Republican A.J. Hamilton for the Governorship in an election marred by charges of fraud. Davis took office in Jan. 1870, and Texas was readmitted to the Union the following March. Davis' four-year term was marked by controversy over the formation of a State Police force and alleged financial corruption. His administration drew praise, however, for its support of free public education.
Davis was defeated for re-election in Dec. 1873 by Democrat Richard Coke, but he refused to leave office. From Jan. 13 to Jan. 17, 1874, Davis occupied the first floor of the State Capitol, while Coke and members of the 14th Legislature held the second floor. Armed conflict was prevented when President U.S. Grant declined to intervene in the dispute, and Davis left the building peacefully.
Davis married Anne Elizabeth Britton (b. 1838) and had two sons, his grave is in the State Cemetery in Austin.
Erected 1976 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #18 Ulysses S. Grant series list. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1870.
Location. 30° 16.338′ N, 97° 44.496′ W. Marker is in Austin, Texas, in Travis County. It is in Downtown Austin. It can be reached from the intersection of Congress Avenue and West 11th Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Austin TX 78701, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Texas. It is also in the American South. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Site of Temporary Texas State Capitol of 1880s (a few steps from this marker); Henry Smith (a few steps from this marker); First Classes of the University of Texas Law School (a few steps from this marker); Ruben Esquivel (a few steps from this marker); Old Bakery (within shouting distance of this marker); Governor Elisha Marshall Pease (within shouting distance of this marker); Pat Crow Memorial Plaza (within shouting distance of this marker); African Americans in the Texas Revolution (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Austin.
Photographed by Michael Heinich, August 24, 2014
2. Governor Edmund Jackson Davis Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 24, 2009, by Keith Peterson of Cedar Park, Texas. This page has been viewed 1,999 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 24, 2009, by Keith Peterson of Cedar Park, Texas. 2. submitted on August 24, 2014, by Michael Heinich of Austin, Texas. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
