David Davis and Abraham Lincoln's First Presidential Campaign

Michelle Chrul
South Middle School, Arlington Heights

Before the Civil War, David Davis had been a judge on the Eighth Judicial Circuit in Illinois. There he met Abraham Lincoln, an attorney on the Eighth Judicial Circuit. David Davis later became a very important part of Abraham Lincoln's first campaign for the presidency. Davis worked hard on Lincoln's campaign; the days before the Republican Convention were very stressful, for him as well as for Lincoln. During the Republican Convention, Davis made a lot of arrangements to pursuade delegates to cast their votes for Lincoln.

Davis rented two rooms at the Tremont House Hotel, to be used as Lincoln's Headquarters. David Davis was very active in his role as campaign manager. Whenever anyone had a question regarding the presidential campaign, Abraham Lincoln would tell him or her to get in touch with his campaign manager, David Davis.

Everyone at the Republican Convention was sure that whoever they nominated would become the next president. Abraham Lincoln knew very well the kinds of deals that were made at conventions, and he instructed his campaign manager not to make any deals with delegates. Davis knew this, but made promises anyway. Davis gathered some of Lincoln's friends to work on the delegates. Davis was trying to gain support for Abraham Lincoln as the delegates' second choice. Davis mostly concentrated on the delegates from Pennsylvania and Indiana. He did this because those states' votes were extremely important to a successful nomination during the convention. Davis worked until he was nearly "dead with fatigue," as one historian characterized it.

One of the big deals that was made at the convention was with the delegates from Pennsylvania. The delegates from Pennsylvania promised they would vote for Abraham Lincoln if David Davis promised Simon Cameron a cabinet post. Davis considered that an extremely big promise to make in Abraham Lincoln's name. But Davis muttered, "Lincoln ain't here," and went on. Even with that promise there was a scare that the delegates might change their minds. Davis told everyone that Lincoln would ratify all arrangements, even though he knew Lincoln would only ratify them if he wanted to.

David Davis and Abraham Lincoln shared the same view when it came to the slavery issue. They both agreed that slavery was wrong. Abraham Lincoln chose his Supreme Court justices based on their points of view. That is why, when Abraham Lincoln became president, he appointed Davis to the Supreme Court. In 1844 Davis voted in the Illinois legislature to repeal all laws that distinguished between black people and white people. He also voted against a bill to put African Americans in jail if they could not prove they were free. Davis had also been a member of the convention that drafted the Illinois Constitution where he fought against the article that excluded free African Americans from Illinois. Thus, David Davis was a very important part of Illinois history.—[From Olivia Coolidge, The Apprenticeship of Abraham Lincoln; William H. Herndon and Jesse W. Weik, Herndon's Life of Lincoln; Willard L. King, Lincoln's Manager; Herbert Mitgang, The Fiery Trial a Life of Lincoln; Mark E. Neely, Jr., The Abraham Lincoln Encyclopedia.]

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