Chatham County GaArchives Biographies.....Davis, William Virginius 1871 - living in 1913
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 13, 2004, 10:50 pm

Author: William Harden
p. 621-622

   WILLIAM VIRGINIUS DAVIS, vice-president and manager of the Savannah Trust
Company, prominent banker, and well known for practically all his life in
Savannah, is one of the foremost figures in the business life of this city. He
was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on June 14, 1871, and is the son of Thomas J.
and Frances V. (Price) Davis. The father was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, and
the mother in Wilmington, North Carolina. She died in 1896. For many years
Thomas Davis was a grain merchant in Savannah, and he is still living in this
city, but is retired from active business life.

   Although born in Jacksonville, William V. Davis is practically a Savannahian,
as his parents removed to the Georgia city when he was an infant, and he was
reared and educated here, attending the public schools and Chatham Academy. In
1889, when he was eighteen years old. he went to Texas, locating at Palestine,
where he became stenographer and secretary to Hon. Thomas M. Campbell, one of
the prominent lawyers of that state, who was then the receiver and later the
general manager of the International & Great Northern Railroad, and who was
governor of Texas from 1906 to 1910, He was connected with Mr. Campbell's office
for nearly four years and was then made ticket agent at Palestine for the I. &
G. N. R. R., of which his uncle, D. J. Price, is general passenger agent. Mr.
Davis remained in that position for one year, remaining at Palestine five years
in all. In 1894 he returned to Savannah and since that time he has been
continually associated with business interests headed by Capt. W. W. Mackall, a
sketch of whose life appears elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Davis first entered
Captain Mackall's law office as a clerical assistant, and studying law in the
meantime, but has never practiced that profession. He became secretary of the
various railroad and industrial corporations of which Mr. Mackall was the chief,
prominent among which was the Georgia Construction Company, which built the
Seaboard Air Line terminals in Hutchinson Island.

   On October 1, 1902, the Savannah Trust Company, of which Mr. Mackall is
president, began business, and Mr. Davis was made its secretary. He has been
connected with this bank ever since that time. Upon the retirement of John
Morris as treasurer of the company, Mr. Davis assumed the duties of that
position in addition to the secretaryship. On January 22, 1907, Mr. Davis was
elected to his present position of vice-president, and, as such, is the managing
official of the company.

   Few financial institutions in the South have been attended by such
substantial growth and prosperity in so short a time as has the Savannah Trust
Company. Under its charter it carries on both general banking and trust company
business, besides a real estate department that is especially flourishing and
successful. The capital stock is $500,000, with surplus and undivided profits of
nearly $300,000. The management of the bank is conservative, efficient and
economical, and it has returned most satisfactory dividends to its stockholders.

   While living at Palestine, Mr. Davis was married to Miss Elizabeth Wyche
Hunter. She died in that city. One daughter was born of this union,—Miss Wyche
Hunter Davis, now at Orange, New Jersey, in Miss Beard's school. Subsequently
Mr. Davis was married to Miss Winnifred Wright Bonney, of Norfolk, Virginia, and
they have three-children,—Thomas J.; William V., Jr.; and Frederick B.

   Mr. Davis is a member of Westminster Presbyterian church, and is associated
in a fraternal way with the Masonic order, being a member of Ancient Landmark
Lodge, No. 231, A. F. & A. M., the Georgia Chapter of Royal Arch Masons,
Palestine Commandery Knights Templar and is a Shriner. He is also a member of
the Oglethorpe Club, the Yacht Club, the Guards Club and the Golf Club.



Additional Comments:
From:

A HISTORY OF SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA
BY
WILLIAM HARDEN

VOLUME I
ILLUSTRATED
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
CHICAGO AND NEW YORK
1913

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