Bliss Nash Davis (December 8, 1801 – February 11, 1885) was a Vermont politician and lawyer who served as President of the Vermont Senate.
Biography Bliss Nash Davis was born in Vergennes, Vermont on December 8, 1801. He studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced, first in Hardwick, and later in Danville.Hamilton Child, Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, Vt. 1764-1887, 1887, pages 85, 182
Davis served in local offices, including Justice of the Peace.Vermont General Assembly, Journal of the Vermont House of Representatives, 1830, page 45Vermont General Assembly, Journal of the Vermont House of Representatives, 1836, page xliiiLeonard Deming, Catalogue of the Principal Officers of Vermont, 1851, Appendix, page 151 He was also involved in several businesses, including serving as President of the Caledonia National Bank.U.S. Comptroller of the Currency, Annual Report, 1876, page 102
Originally a Whig, and later a Republican, Davis served as Caledonia County State's Attorney from 1843 to 1844 and 1848 to 1850.Child, Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, Vt.
In 1850 Davis prosecuted William Warburton, alias "Bristol Bill" for counterfeiting. Upon hearing the guilty verdict Bristol Bill stabbed Davis in the back of the neck. Davis recovered, and the next day Bristol Bill was sentenced to 10 years in prison.Eric McGuire , Wm.Warburton alias “Bristol Bill”, Groton Historical Society Newsletter, Summer, 2011
He served in the Vermont Senate from 1858 to 1860 and was Senate President in 1859.Vermont General Assembly, Journal of the Vermont State Senate, 1859, pages 4, 8
Davis maintained an active law practice until just a few weeks before his death. He died in Danville on February 11, 1885.New York Times, Obituary, Bliss N. Davis, February 12, 1885
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