William H. Davis (educator)

William H. Davis
Portrait of Davis, published in The Institute Monthly, 1911
Born	(1848-11-27)November 27, 1848 Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Died	March 24, 1938(1938-03-24) (aged 89) Charleston, West Virginia, U.S.
Burial place	Spring Hill Cemetery, Charleston
Occupation(s)	Educator and school administrator
Spouse	Hallie Ann Lewis ​ (m. 1869)​
Children	4
Military career
Service/branch	United States Army (Union Army)
Years of service	1863–1865
Rank	Private
Unit	7th Independent Company (Union Light Guard), Ohio Volunteer Cavalry
Academic work
Institutions	African-American schools in Tinkersville and Charleston, West Virginia
Notable students	Booker T. Washington

William H. Davis (November 27, 1848 – March 24, 1938) was an American educator and school administrator in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Davis was the first formal teacher of Booker T. Washington, and he was the first and only African-American candidate for governor of West Virginia, running for the office in 1888.

Davis was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1848. He was educated in public schools in Columbus and Chillicothe. After graduation, he enlisted in the 7th Independent Company of the Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, known as the Union Light Guard, in the Union Army. Davis's unit was a cavalry regiment that guarded President Abraham Lincoln and was stationed in Washington, D.C., during the American Civil War. He was honorably discharged in 1865 following surgery due to an infection of the mastoid part of his temporal bone. Following the war, he operated a steamboat between Gallipolis, Charleston, and Brownstown.

In September 1865, he began boarding with Reverend Lewis Rice in the Tinkersville section of Malden. Rice hired Davis as a schoolteacher at the privately run Tinkersville school, with classes being held in Rice's home at first. Davis was the first teacher of Booker T. Washington at the Tinkersville school. In 1871, Davis was hired to serve as principal of Charleston's African-American schools. Davis served as principal for a total of 24 years and continued to teach. He retired from teaching in 1913, having taught for 47 years.

In 1888, the Colored Independent Party nominated Davis as the party's gubernatorial candidate in the 1888 elections. The party organized in opposition to the Republican Party because of its refusal to recognize West Virginia's African-American voters and advocated for an end to school segregation. Davis became the first African American nominated as a candidate for West Virginia governor, and as of 2022,^[update] is the only African-American gubernatorial candidate in the state's history. When Booker T. Washington was honored at a 1937 Tuskegee University anniversary celebration, Davis was invited and attended as a guest of honor.