Lester M. Davis Biography


	This biography appears on page 1149 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				LESTER M. DAVIS. 

	Lester M. Davis, who was elected to the office of treasurer of 
Marshall county in 1914, was born in Waseca county, Minnesota, December 
23, 1881, being one of the two children of David and Clara (Hinkley) 
Davis. The father was born in Wisconsin in 1853 and the mother in 
Minnesota in 1857. They were married in the latter state and he has 
devoted his attention to farming, whereby he has provided a comfortable 
living for his family. In 1883 he removed to Marshall county, where he 
took up a homestead on which he lived for a number of years. He now 
resides upon an eighty-acre tract of land near Britton, and although he 
had only two dollars and sixty cents when he reached South Dakota, he 
is now in pose session of a comfortable competence. His political 
support is given to the republican party. James Davis, the paternal 
grandfather of Lester M. Davis, was born in New York and at an early 
period in the settlement of Wisconsin took up his abode in that state. 
At the time of the Civil war he put aside all business and personal 
considerations to aid his country ill the defense of the Union. The 
maternal grandfather, Henry Hinkley, was born in Maine and after living 
for a time in Wisconsin removed to Minnesota, where he was living at 
the time of the Indian troubles. He afterward came to South Dakota, 
where he took up land and in this state spent his remaining days. It 
was his daughter Clara who became the wife of David Davis and they had 
a daughter, May, who is now the wife of 0. C. Sherburn, a farmer living 
at Britton. 

	The other child of that marriage is Lester M. Davis, who was in 
his second year when brought to Marshall county. His education was 
acquired in the schools of Britton and he devoted his time and energies 
to general agricultural pursuits until he was elected to office. lee 
has three hundred and fifty-four acres of valuable land in this county, 
upon which he has made excellent improvements, transforming it into one 
of the fine farms of the district. 

	In 1903 Mr. Davis was united in marriage to Miss Olive Russell, 
her father being Edward Russell, an agriculturist of Marshall county. 
They have one child, Dorothy, who is in school. 

	Mr. Davis is a well known representative of the Masonic 
fraternity in Marshall county, belonging to both the lodge and the 
chapter. He votes with the republican party and keeps well informed on 
the questions and issues of the day. In the fall of 1914 he became his 
party's candidate for the office of county treasurer and the election 
proved that he had the support of the majority, so that he is now the 
incumbent in that position, in which he is proving most capable. He has 
been familiar with the history of this county for about a third of a 
century and is an interested witness of the changes which have occurred 
and of the progress which has been wrought. At all times he has been in 
sympathy with movements for the general good and his labors have been 
resultant factors in the upbuilding of the community.