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James Ole Davidson
James Ole Davidson
21st Governor of Wisconsin
	Acting; January 1, 1906 – January 7, 1907
	In office; January 1, 1906 – January 2, 1911
Lieutenant	William D. Connor; John Strange
Preceded by	Robert M. La Follette
Succeeded by	Francis E. McGovern
19th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
	In office; January 5, 1903 – January 7, 1907
Governor	Robert M. La Follette, Sr.
Preceded by	Jesse Stone
Succeeded by	William D. Connor
13th Treasurer of Wisconsin
	In office; January 2, 1899 – January 5, 1903
Governor	Edward Scofield; Robert M. LaFollette, Sr.
Preceded by	Sewell A. Peterson
Succeeded by	John J. Kempf
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
	In office; 1893–1899
Personal details
Born	February 10, 1854; Årdal, Sogn og Fjordane County, Norway
Died	December 16, 1922 (aged 68); Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Hill Cemetery, Madison, Wisconsin
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Helen Bliss
Children	2
Signature

James Ole Davidson (February 10, 1854 – December 16, 1922) was a Norwegian American immigrant and the 21st governor of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He also served as lieutenant governor of Wisconsin and state treasurer.

Early life

Davidson was born in Årdal, Sogn og Fjordane County, Norway and immigrated in 1872 to the United States when he was 18 years old.^[1]^[2] In Boscobel, Wisconsin he worked as a farmhand and as a tailor.^[3] Davidson began a successful mercantile business and established his own tailor business in Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin.^[4]

Political career

He held several political positions in Wisconsin, and was twice elected village president in Soldiers Grove. ^[5] Davidson was also elected as a Republican candidate to the Wisconsin State Assembly, serving three terms from 1893 to 1899. He was elected Wisconsin state treasurer in 1898 and 1903.^[6]

Elected the 19th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin alongside governor Robert M. La Follette, Sr., Davidson served until January 1, 1906, when La Follette resigned to join the United States Senate, making Davidson acting governor.^[7] He was elected governor in 1906 and reelected in 1908.^[6] He served from January 4, 1906, to January 3, 1911; and during his tenure, state regulation of the railroads was extended to include public utilities, telegraph, telephone, electricity, water companies, and the insurance industry.^[8] After retiring from office, he was appointed by his gubernatorial successor to a five-year term as president of the State Board of Control.^[9]

Death

Davidson died in Madison, Wisconsin, on December 16, 1922,^[1]^[3] due to pneumonia and heart complications. He is interred at Madison's historic Forest Hill Cemetery.^[10]

Family life

Davidson was the son of Ole Davidson and Ingabor (Jenson) Davidson.^[10] On February 19, 1883, Davidson married Helen Bliss and they had two daughters, Mabel Elsie and Grace.^[1]^[11]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Ex-Governor of Wisconsin Dead". Wausau Daily Herald. December 18, 1922. p. 1. Retrieved April 11, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Davidson, James O. 1854 – 1922". Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2008.
^ ^a ^b Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration, and Herman, Jennifer L. (2008). Wisconsin Encyclopedia. North American Book Dist LLC. p. 218. ISBN 9781878592613.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Jens Davidson at NRK Sogn og Fjordane County Encyclopedia (in Norwegian)
^ "Did You Know?". Soldiers Grove Wisconsin America's First Solar Village. Retrieved May 24, 2014.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ ^a ^b Legislative Reference Bureau (1960). The Wisconsin Blue Book. Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 154.
^ "James O. Davidson". 1996–2014 Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
^ "Marker 112: James Davidson". Marker 112: James DavidsonWisconsinHistorical Markers. Retrieved May 24, 2014.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ "Governors of Wisconsin". Genealogy Trails. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "Wisconsin Scandinavian Obituaries D". Ancestry.com. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
^ "James O. Davidson". 1996–2014 Wisconsin Historical Society. Archived from the original on May 21, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2014.

External links

Party political offices
Preceded by Sewell A. Peterson	Republican nominee for State Treasurer of Wisconsin 1898, 1900	Succeeded by John J. Kempf
Preceded by Jesse Stone	Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin 1902, 1904	Succeeded by William D. Connor
Preceded by Robert M. La Follette	Republican nominee for Governor of Wisconsin 1906, 1908	Succeeded by Francis E. McGovern
Political offices
Preceded by Sewell A. Peterson	State Treasurer of Wisconsin January 2, 1899 – January 5, 1903	Succeeded by John J. Kempf
Preceded by Jesse Stone	Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin January 5, 1903 – January 1, 1906	Succeeded by William D. Connor
Preceded by Robert M. La Follette	Governor of Wisconsin January 1, 1906 – January 2, 1911	Succeeded by Francis E. McGovern