lawyer, politician, Congressman, b. Colchester, N.Y. He graduated from Union Law School, Albany, N.Y. (1884) and was admitted to the bar. In 1885 he moved to Wisconsin, settling in Princeton where he practiced law and served as district attorney. In 1892 he moved to Oshkosh where he continued his law practice and served as city attorney (1895-1897). A Republican, he was chairman of the party's congressional committee for the 6th district (1890). In 1896 he was elected to Congress, and was re- elected for seven terms (1897-1913). He was chairman of the committee on railroads and canals and a member of the committee on rivers and harbors. Unsuccessful in the elections of 1912 and 1914, he was re-elected to Congress in 1916, and served from 1917 until his death. During his last term, he was a member of the committee on military affairs. Biog. Dir. Amer. Cong. (1928); Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, Aug. 7, 10, 1918; Wis. Blue Book (1911).

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the James Henry Davidson Papers for details.

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[Source: Blue book]