Royal Page Davidson

Royal Page Davidson
Born (1870-10-09)October 9, 1870
Somerville, New Jersey
Died January 16, 1943(1943-01-16) (age 72)
Northwestern Military and Naval Academy
Nationality American
Occupation Educator / inventor
Political party Republican
Religion Congregational Church
Spouse(s) Clara M. Coldwell
married July 4, 1892
Dover, New Hampshire
Parent(s) Harlan Page Davidson
Adelaide S. Ford

Royal Page Davidson (October 9, 1870 – January 16, 1943) was an American educator and inventor.[1][2]

Early life

Davidson was born in Somerville, New Jersey on October 9, 1870. His early basic education was in a country public school.[3]

Mid life

Davidson attended the Massachusetts Agricultural College and the University of Wisconsin.[1] He also attended Northwestern Military and Naval Academy and graduated from there in 1889.[4]

Northwestern Military Academy

Davidson was commandant of Northwestern Military and Naval Academy from 1892 to 1912. He was its secretary and treasurer from 1912 to 1914. Davidson was their superintendent and president from 1914 to 1939. His father Harlan Page Davidson started the Academy.[5]

Notability

Bicycle Corp

Davidson organized the first military Bicycle Corps in 1894. It consisted of cadets from the Northwestern Military Academy.[6] Davidson developed the military bicycle corps in the hope that the bicycle would speed up the movement of troops. Davidson staged a cross-country 850 mile expedition to Washington, D.C in the summer of 1897. The maneuvers were done in a military practice as if the Bicycle Corps were traveling in enemy territory.[7] The expedition took 15 days and had much national publicity. Davidson offered the government the services of his Bicycle Corps when the Spanish–American War broke out.[8] He was turned down since the military bicycles had minimum firepower and showed it left the bicycle-rider exposed to retaliation. The new automobile that was being innovated at the time showed better combat possibilities, if it could be properly armed and protected against enemy firepower.[7]

Armored cars

Davidson was the leading pioneer of armored military vehicles in the United States starting in 1898.[9] He is described as the inventor of the first military vehicle in United States.[10] He made a three-wheeled automobile armed with a gun carriage in 1899. There were many newspaper articles at the time with imaginative stories and drawings of Davidson's military vehicle. Davidson's gasoline military vehicle was much simpler than their futuristic drawings.[7] Later it was developed into the Automobile Battery armored car.[8] Today's historians can trace the lineage of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle back to Davidson's vehicles.[11] Davidson is considered "The Father of American armored cars."[12]

Davidson contributed to various journals that were associated with the military and science.[2] He was an inventor of various military equipment, including a military vehicle radio.[4] He even designed the first field hospital automobile with X-ray equipment.[13]

Fraternities and clubs

Davidson was associated with the Delta Union and the Delta Upilon Fraternity.[2] He was also a member of the Pines Crest Lakes Club of Avon Park, Florida; Union League Club of Chicago; Army and Navy Club of Chicago; University of Wisconsin Club of Chicago; and the Big Foot Country Club of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. He was also a Colonel in the Reserve Corps of the United States Army.[1] He was also president of the North Central Academic Association of Colonial Illinois National Guard. He was also associated with the Union League Club, the National Geographic Society, and the Navy League.[2]

Later life and death

Davidson died on January 16, 1943. He is buried at the Northwestern Military and Naval Academy.[4]

See also

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 "Who's Who and What to see in Florida". Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  2. 1 2 3 4 American men of mark, p. 305
  3. ↑ Delta Upsilon fraternity, p. 789
  4. 1 2 3 Marquis-Who's Who (1950)
  5. ↑ Quaife, p. 233
  6. ↑ Kane, p. 79
  7. 1 2 3 St. John's, p. 47
  8. 1 2 Daily Herald (newspaper) by Diana Dretske. "Military academy made unique contributions to history": [Lake Edition], Arlington Heights, Ill.: Paddock Publications Nov 11, 2001. pg. 1
  9. ↑ "American Armoured Cars of WW1 - Part One: Davidson-Cadillacs". Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  10. ↑ Kane, p. 41 The first armored car was designed by Colonel Royal Page Davidson in May 1898.
  11. ↑ "A Museum's Secrets". Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  12. ↑ Clemens, p. 1 The Father of American armored cars.
  13. ↑ Kane, p. 42

Sources

  • American men of mark (1917), A Thousand American Men of Mark Today
  • Clemens, Al J., The American Military Armored Car, A.J. Clemens, 1969
  • Delta Upsilon fraternity (1902), The Delta Upsilon Decennial Catalogue [1903]
  • Kane, Joseph Nathan, Famous First Facts - A Record of First Happenings, Discoveries and Inventions in the United States, The H. W. Wilson Company (1950)
  • Marquis-Who's Who (1950), Who was who in America. 1943-1950 Vol 2, New Providence, New Jersey
  • Marquis-Who's Who (1967), Who was who in America: A Companion Biographical Reference Work to Who's who in America
  • Quaife, Milo Milton, Wisconsin: Its History and Its People 1634-1924, Volume 4, S.J. Clarke Publishing Company (1924)
  • Randall, Frank Alfred, Randall and Allied Families, Raveret-Weber printing company (1943)
  • St. John's Military Academy, A History of Excellence: St. John's Northwestern Military Academy, Delafield, Wis., self-published (2002)
  • Stern, Philip Van Doren, A Pictorial History of the Automobile, Viking Press (1953)
  • Tucker, Spencer, Tanks: An Illustrated History of Their Impact, ISBN 1-57607-995-3
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