Athens' First Black Attorney
Andrew Jackson Davison's courthouse portrait. Andrew Jackson Davison Club.
While Black Americans continued to find avenues to successful careers, success did not mean acceptance from white peers. Andrew Jackson Davison was one of many Black Ohioans who travelled north after being emancipated from slavery. He married Eliza Davison, a former slave who had served as a cook for General Custer’s army in the Civil War, and his work in Athens allowed him to buy his own home on the West Side of Athens, a monumental success for a man who had been born into slavery.[1] Davison’s services as a lawyer and notary can be found in occasional issues of the Athens Messenger in the 1870s where his office is listed.
In 1873, Davison announced that he would run for office as Prosecuting Attorney for Athens County as an independent candidate. In his announcement in the Athens Messenger, he referenced both his connections to well-known community members and his political affiliations: “I refer to Col. R. A. Constable, Major Jewett, Major Townsend and Gen. C. H. Grosvenor as to my ability as a lawyer. I have always been a Republican.”[2] He was an established member of the Athens County Bar and Public Officials; however, when the composite portrait for these men was placed in the Athens Courthouse in 1876, however, Davison was excluded. His portrait was added in January 2020, over a century after the original composite was placed there, due to the diligent efforts of a local middle school organization.[3]
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Davison's qualifications gave him a voice despite the racial barriers that challenged him. He began running for local office in 1873 and was involved in state politics in the following years. Read more about Davison's political career and struggles as a Black Democrat here. Despite Davison's struggle to be elected, his candidacy gave him a platform to express his views and to push the limit on Black political involvement. He was also able to help the local Black community when they faced trouble from law enforcement. In 1878, a Black resident of Bern Township was arrested and charged with assault with intent to kill. Davison invoked habeas corpus to have the man brought to court, and the evidence against him was found to be insufficient for the charges brought against him.[4] As post-war racism led to more Black community members being targeted by law enforcement, Davison could advocate for local residents who were unfairly accused. Read more about Black residents being targeted by law enforcement here.
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The exclusion of Davison’s portrait from the courthouse serves as a reminder of the complexity of Black experience in the Reconstruction Era. Andrew Jackson Davison was an intelligent and ambitious man. He attained financial success, and his professional acumen as an attorney earned him the endorsement of respected white community members in his generation. Despite this success, his white peers issued a rejection in the form of his exclusion from the portrait that memorialized their importance to the city, effectively erasing Davison’s part in that contribution for many decades to come. Tolerance did not necessarily equate to true acceptance within the Athens community.
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Notes
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1. Brian Koshko, “West State Street Cemetery”, October 5, 2020, in Invisible Ground. Podcast. https://www.radio.com/podcasts/invisible-ground-46145.
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2. A. J. Davison, “Announcement: Prosecuting Attorney”, Athens Messenger, September 4, 1873.
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3. Demetra Zaros, Emma Ulbrich and Shelby Davenport, “In search of Andrew Jackson Davison: Athens Middle Schoolers take lead on local history project” Athens News, February 5, 2020. Accessed December 14, 2020. https://www.athensnews.com/news/local/in-search-of-andrew-jackson-davison/article_8c3f0474-484b-11ea-afda-ef50e2335e50.html.
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4. “Local Matters,” Athens Messenger, August 8, 1878.
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Image: Andrew Jackson Davison Portrait. Andrew Jackson Davidson Club.
