Preston Davie

Preston Davie (January 31, 1881 – May 21, 1967) was an American lawyer and colonel during World War I. Davie won a Distinguished Service Medal for his efforts.

Preston Davie
Born(1881-01-31)January 31, 1881
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedMay 21, 1967(1967-05-21) (aged 86)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Alma materHarvard College
Harvard Law School
OccupationLawyer
Spouse(s)
Emily H. Bedford
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(div. 1930)​

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​
(m. 1930; his death 1967)​
RelativesWilliam Preston (grandfather)
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Army
RankColonel
Battles/warsWorld War I
AwardsDistinguished Service Medal (U.S. Army)

Early life

Davie was born in Louisville, Kentucky on January 31, 1881, a son of George M. Davie. He was a grandson of Maj. Gen. William Preston of the Confederate Army who was a member of Congress and U.S. Minister to Spain, and a descendant of William Richardson Davie, the 10th Governor of North Carolina and U.S. Minister to France who was a General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.[1]

Upon completing military service, he graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School.[1]

Career

He amassed a large collection of historical documents over the course of his life, pertaining to the early settling of the United States. These include The Preston Davie Collection of Early Americana housed at University of North Carolina.

Career

From his first marriage to Emily H. Bedford, which ended in divorce, he was the father of a son and daughter,[2] E. T. Bedford Davie and Mrs. Emily Davie Kornfeld.[1]

In 1930, he married his second wife Eugenie Mary "May" Ladenburg (1895–1975), who was a prominent activist in the Republican Party.[3][4] She assisted in the donation of many of his collections following his death.[5]

Davie died at his home, 71 East 71st Street, in Manhattan, on May 21, 1967.[1]

References
  1. "PRESTON DAVIE, LAWYER, 86, DEAD; Colonel on General Staff in World War I Held D.S.M. Graduate of Harvard Law" (PDF). The New York Times. 22 May 1967. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  2. "Millionaire Politician; Mrs. May Preston Davie" (PDF). The New York Times. 7 August 1958. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  3. Staff report (February 12, 1930). Mrs. Davie To Ask Divorce; Wife of Clubman Now is at Reno to File Suit, He Says. New York Times
  4. Staff report (May 6, 1930). Eugenie Ladenburg To Wed On May 31; Her Marriage to Preston Davie to Take Place at Home of Joseph S. Stevens, Jericho, L.I. Plans Are Incomplete. Fiancee, a Member of Colony Club, Is Only Child of the Late Adolf Ladenburg, Banker. New York Times
  5. Blackstone-Shelburne (May 22, 1967). Preston Davie, Lawyer, 86, Dead; Colonel on General Staff in World War I Held D.S.M. Graduate of Harvard Law. New York Times


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