Butte County
Biographies
HARRY RHYS DAVIDS
HARRY RHYS DAVIDS.--A young man
with interesting English social connections is Harry Rhys Davids,
who was born at Calcutta, in far away India, September 8, 1893. His grandfather
was Thomas Rhys Davids, a native of Wales, who was a
graduate from the University of London and was a prominent theologian and a
writer on theological subjects. An uncle, Judge T. W. Rhys, LL.D., was both an
English college graduate and a student who had taken courses at Heidelberg. He
became judge of the high court of Ceylon, where he made a study of the ancient
sacred (Pali) language and became an authority on it
and was a writer of considerable fame in that line. He also codified the Singalese laws for the British Government.
Harry Rhys Davids
was educated in India, and remained at Lucknow until
he was thirteen years of age. Then he returned to England, where he continued
his studies in Yorkshire at the private Hume Grammar School in Manchester. He
then was admitted to the cadet ship, H. M. S. Conway, and completed the naval
course there. Then he went to Victoria University at Leeds until he concluded
to locate in the United States. In 1904, therefore, he sailed for America and
moved as far west as Omaha, and for some time he was in newspaper work on the Omaha Bee. About 1907 he continued his migration
westward, and accepted a post on the old San Francisco Morning Call. There he
was associated with Kathaleen Norris, the famous
author, Peter B. Kyne, Jack Neylan,
Fred Beckholt, and other well-known writers,
remaining in the Call service until April, 1911. During that time he had
studied law under Charles J. Heggerty and
George H. Knight.
When once admitted to practice in
California, Mr. Davids opened an office in Santa
Cruz, and secured the appointment of United States Referee in cases of
bankruptcy in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties. In July, 1914, he located in
Chico, and the following January was appointed assistant district attorney of Butte
County under Leonard. He prosecuted in the celebrated Slaughter case and
secured the conviction of the accused. In 1916, he was elected chairman of the
Republican County Central Committee, and has become a member of the Republican
State Central Committee.
On settling in California, Mr. Davids joined the Naval Militia of the State and was given
a commission as ensign, which he had to relinquish on moving to Chico. When war
was declared against Germany he entered the first Officers Training Camp at the
Presidio in San Francisco, but after three months’ service was physically
disqualified. Returning to civil life, he immediately took up various war
duties. He was appointed Government Appeal Agent and Counsel for the United
States Provost General by Governor Stephens. Later he was chosen, with Guy R.
Kennedy, to watch and care for the interests of soldiers and sailors during
their service. He organized the Home Defense League of Butte County, an
organization which devoted itself to stamping out sedition, protecting crops
and other patriotic purposes.
At Santa Cruz, some years ago, Mr. Davids was married to Miss Harriett Snyder, a native of
that city. Both attend the Episcopal Church, where Mr. Davids
is junior warden. He is a member of the B. P. O. Elks, the W. O. W., and other
fraternal organizations.
Transcribed by Marie Hassard
21 May 2008.
Source:
"History of Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages
983-984, Historic Record
Co, Los Angeles, CA, 1918.
© 2008 Marie Hassard.
Golden Nugget Library's Butte County Biographies