Nicholas Davis Jr.
American politician (1825–1875)
Nicholas Davis Jr. (January 14, 1825 – November 3, 1875) was an American politician who served as a Deputy from Alabama to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States from April 1861 to February 1862.
Biography
Nicholas Davis Jr. was born in Limestone County, Alabama, and served in the legislature in 1851. He was elected to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States to replace David P. Lewis and served in that capacity from April 1861 to February 1862.
He was unsuccessful in organizing his regiment during the American Civil War and served as lieutenant colonel of the 19th Regiment Alabama Infantry instead.
Davis was a proponent and supporter of slavery in Alabama. In 1827, he was one of several signatories of "1827-01-08 Alabama Resolution Denouncing Emancipation of Slaves" that contended that slavery was a state's right's issue, and that the federal government did not have the authority to abolish the practice. An excerpt from the letter states:
″The select Committee [signatories]...on the subject of the abolition and general emancipation of persons of colour heled in solitude in the United States; having had the same under consideration, respectfully submit the following Report:
They conceive that the subject is one in which the States (where the evil complained of exists) are alone interested; that the frequent interference of the non-slave holding states in a matter so purely internal and domestic, is alike impolitic and incompatible with the rights and interest of the slave-holding states; and that the dictates of policy forbid the too frequent agitation of a question, which by the Constitution of the United States and of the several slave-holding states, is beyond the exercise of legislative control.″
The letter further states that the signatories disapprove with the ″entire emancipation of slaves″. he died in Huntsville Alabama in 1875
A historical marker in Limestone County commemorates Davis' life and political engagement, but makes no mention of his support of slavery.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Nicholas Davis Jr.” is american politician (1825–1875). The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Nicholas, Davis and American, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “american politician (1825–1875)” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1984838. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1825, 1875, 1861 and 1862.
Later biographies can compress uncertainty and repeat inherited reputations, so apparently settled claims may still require comparison. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Nicholas Davis Jr.”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Nicholas Davis Jr. primary sources, Nicholas Davis Jr. archive and Nicholas research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Nicholas Davis Jr.”?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Nicholas Davis Jr.” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.