Charles A. Davis
Charles Augustus Davis was a prominent figure in 19th-century New York, known for his association with the Whig party and his connections to notable literary and business circles, including friendships with influential writers like Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper. He gained recognition as a satirical writer under the pen name J. Downing, Major, where he parodied the character Major Jack Downing, created by journalist Seba Smith. Davis's writings, which began in 1833, were characterized by their anti-Jacksonian sentiment, as he critiqued President Andrew Jackson and his advisors through humor and satire. His notable work, "Letters of J. Downing, Major," published in 1834, provided a comedic yet pointed commentary on contemporary politics and fiscal policies, particularly those of Nicholas Biddle and the U.S. Bank. Throughout his career, Davis also engaged in community efforts, including a significant role in reorganizing New York's fire department after a major fire in 1835. Despite his contributions, confusion between Davis and Seba Smith persisted, even leading to inaccuracies in reporting about his work after his death in 1867. Overall, Davis's legacy reflects a blend of political advocacy, literary creativity, and involvement in civic matters of his time.
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Subject Terms
Charles A. Davis
Nonfiction, Humor
- Born: 1795
- Birthplace: New York, New York
- Died: 1867
Biography
Charles Augustus Davis belonged to the Whig party and to the elite of New York business and literary circles. He was friends with Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, Fitz-Greene Halleck, and other members of the Knickerbocker set. In 1833, when Davis penned his first humorous letter to the Daily Advertiser, he was already a partner in his own shipping and commission firm. In his letter he used the pen name J. Downing, Major, a variation on Major Jack Downing, a name already familiar to the reading public. Davis’s J. Downing, Major, satirized Major Jack Downing, who was the creation of the journalistSeba Smith. Smith wrote for the Portland Courier and accused Davis of stealing his ideas. Both J. Downing, Major and Major Jack Downing wrote letters about contemporary politics, and both were ostensibly confidants of Andrew Jackson. Major Jack Downing was supposedly a correspondent with Colonel David Crockett. Davis’s J. Downing, Major, was consistently anti-Jacksonian, while Major Jack Downing was more nonpartisan. Although the two figures were confused by contemporaries, Davis’s J. Downing strongly supported the Whig fiscal policies of Nicholas Biddle, head of the U. S. Bank.
Davis portrays Andrew Jackson as a country bumpkin who is being used by Martin Van Buren, Amos Kendall, and other members of Jackson’s Kitchen Cabinet. Vice President Van Buren, or “Little Van,” invents a set of “glorification spectacles” for Jackson to wear, and these glasses keep Jackson from seeing anything as it actually is. In 1834, Davis published his correspondence as Letters of J. Downing, Major, Downingville Militia, Second Brigade, to His Old Friend, Mr. Dwight, of “The New York Daily Advertiser.” In 1835, Davis served as vice president of an antiabolition meeting of New York conservatives. After a disastrous fire in New York, also in 1835, he was appointed to a committee charged with reorganizing the fire department along with illustrious New Yorkers such as Peter Stuyvesant, Benjamin Strong, and James J. Roosevelt, Jr. Several Whig pamphlets on finance are attributed to Davis. The confusion between Charles A. Davis and Seba Smith persisted even after his death. When Davis died in 1867, The New York Times erred by reporting that Davis’s J. Downing letters were directed against the United States Bank and the fiscal policies of Nicholas Biddle.