Davis, Thomas

Died: 1847-04-18 Cerro Gordo, Mexico

Flourished: Springfield, Illinois

Thomas Davis was the brother of Walter Davis. Like his sibling, Thomas was a supporter of the Whig Party. During the presidential election of 1840, he was a marshal of the young men's convention and procession in Springfield in honor of William Henry Harrison. From 1837 to 1845, he served as deputy clerk of the Sangamon County Circuit Court. In this capacity, he became acquainted with Abraham Lincoln and his partners, who litigated numerous lawsuits in the court. When the Mexican War broke out, Davis received a commission as 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. 3rd Regiment of Dragoons. He died at the Battle of Cerro Gordo.

Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 22 May 1840, 1:6; 18 January 1844, 3:3; 11 June 1846, 2:1; 20 May 1847, 2:1; 15 June 1847, 2:2; Wm. Hugh Robarts, Mexican War Veterans: A Complete Roster of the Regular and Volunteer Troops in the War Between the United States and Mexico, From 1846 to 1848 (Washington, DC: Brentano's 1887), 13; For Lincoln's legal cases where Davis participated, search "Davis, Thomas," Martha L. Benner and Cullom Davis et al., eds., The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln: Complete Documentary Edition, 2d edition (Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 2009), http://www.lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org.