Edmund Davis Accomplishments

Texas has had a vast majority of Governors throughout the centuries. The governors have reshaped and created Texas rules, helpful programs, and made some bad decisions. One out of the many governors of the eighteenth century gave quite a shock to have won the election of becoming Governor of Texas. This man is Edmund J. Davis, I will be discussing his early life and some of his occupations throughout his life; I will also discuss his term as governor, and what he did while Governor of Texas. It was October 2, 1827 in St. Augustine, Florida for any other person, it was another day, but to William Godwin and Mary Ann Davis it was a great day, their son Edmund J. Davis was born. Edmund J. Davis got his education in Florida, but later he moved

Davis participated in politics as a Unionist and Radical Republican. Davis served in the Constitutional Convention of 1866, but failed to become state senate of his old district. He became President of the Constitutional Convention of 1868 to 1869. Davis supported all types of political programs that would expand rights for blacks, divided the state, and have restricted the political rights of secessionists. In 1869, Davis ran against Andrew J. Hamilton for governor both were Republican. Davis came in the lead and became the first Republican governor of Texas. He was appointed governor January 8, 1870, Edmund began a four year term and was inaugurated April 28, 1870. Davis’s administration was a controversial one. The Reconstruction Constitution of 1869 was favorable to Davis. It gave him as governor the power to appoint more than 9,000 offices, imposing on the independence of local government and the will of people. Davis made the most oppressive and detested policies in the history of the state. He also used the centralized political power given to him to control the state police and militia. This was not settling well with the Republican or Democrats and furthered to the controversy surrounding Reconstruction in Texas. Edmund J. Davis term as governor of Texas turn out to be a disaster. Edmund J. Davis as governor did quite a few things like help blacks because he was a Radical. He appointed a few blacks as state police, which not many whites were fond of. He also appointed the militia, so he could improve the militia. He would use the control, he had over the state police and the militia to scare off democrats from voting and allow blacks to vote for his policies. Programs called for law and instruction backed by a State Police and restored militia, public schools, internal improvements, bureaus of immigration and geology, and protection of the frontier. The legislature almost impeached Edmund J. Davis in 1873. Edmund’s term