Walter Naylor Davis was a Democratic politician from the state of Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

. He was the state's 34th Lieutenant Governor and a former commissioner of the Missouri Supreme Court.

Personal history

Walter N. Davis was born in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

, the son of Judge Alexander Davis and Alice (Edwards) Davis. He had two brothers and three sisters. Davis' father had been a Colonel in the 5th Division of the Missouri State Guards during the Civil War. and later a judge in the Montana Territory

Montana Territory

The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 28, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Montana.-History:...

 before returning to St. Louis and practicing law. Walter Davis received his secondary education at Smith Academy (St. Louis), graduating in 1894. He received his college degree from Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...

 in 1898, and law degree from Saint Louis University

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...

in 1900. In 1901 he married Roberta Randolph Morrison. Walter Davis practiced law as a partner in the firm of Bates, Blodgett, Williams & Davis. Walter N. Davis died September 16, 1951 and is buried in Bellefontain Cemetery in St. Louis.

Political history

Walter Davis made his first foray into electtive politics in 1916 by running for a circuit judge position in St. Louis County. However he was soundly defeated by his Republican opponent. He served twice as a commissioner of the Missouri Supreme Court, first in 1923, then again from 1927 to 1931 In 1944 Davis won a narrow victory to become Missouri's 34th Lieutenant Governor.