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JONATHAN M. DAVIS, the twenty-second governor of Kansas, was born in Bronson, Kansas on April 27, 1871. His education was attained at the University of Kansas and at the University of Nebraska; however he left school due to the death of his father. Davis entered politics in 1900, serving as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives, a position he was reelected to in 1908 and 1910. He also was elected to the Kansas State Senate in 1912. Davis won the 1922 Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was sworn into the governorship on January 8, 1923. During his tenure, an improved road bill was authorized, taxes were cut, utilities were controlled, prohibition and women's suffrage were endorsed, increased funding was secured for veterans' pensions, banking procedures were limited, and the chancellor of the University of Kansas was fired. The day after his gubernatorial term ended, Davis was prosecuted twice on bribery charges, but was found not guilty of all charges. After several unsuccessful bids for elective office, Davis retired from public service. Governor Jonathan M. Davis died on June 27, 1943, and was buried at the Bronson Cemetery in Bronson, Kansas.

Sources:

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 2, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

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