John W. Davis

John William Davis (April 13, 1873 – March 24, 1955) was an American politician, diplomat and lawyer. He served as a United States Representative from West Virginia (1911–1913), then as Solicitor General of the United States and US Ambassador to the United Kingdom under President Woodrow Wilson. Over a 60-year legal career, he argued 140 cases before the US Supreme Court.

Davis is best known as the Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States during the 1924 presidential election, losing to Republican incumbent Calvin Coolidge. He won that nomination on the 103rd vote, only after the Demcrats split between the conservative William McAddoo and the liberal Al Smith; Davis was a compormise candidate in many ways.

John W. Davis in "Joe Steele"
When the 1932 Democratic convention saw a five day deadlock between New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt and California Representative Joe Steele, many could not help but be reminded of John W. Davis's nomination on the 103rd vote in 1924, and his subsequent defeat by Calvin Coolidge. Roosevelt's death in a fire at the governor's mansion solved the deadlock in Steele's favor, and Steele, unlike Davis, won the subsequent election.