Dr. George Davis
1810-1854
Dr. George Davis was born circa 1810, in Utica, New York, the son of a fourth-generation Doctor. As a lad, he must have watched in wonderment as the Erie Canal was forged through his hometown, luring adventure seekers to the exciting new lands of the northwestern frontier. The newly opened Michigan Territory was already beckoning the young doctor, even as he completed his medical training at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Western District of New York, in Fairfield, in 1834.
The lure of adventure was too strong, and he immediately relocated to the Michigan Territory where he married Mary West, of Pontiac, on July 27, 1836, before establishing himself in Saginaw.
In that year, Dr. Davis was listed as one of 67 residents who owned homes in Saginaw City. His drug store and medical practice on Water Street were also established in 1836. The earliest surviving issues of the “Saginaw Journal” and “The Saginaw North Star” advertised his drug store and his services as “Physician and Surgeon, Saginaw City,” as early as 1837.
In addition to being the first doctor in Saginaw, Dr. Davis also contributed to the emergence of Saginaw in virtually every other possible manner.
Dr. Davis’ contributions in the fields of Medicine, Politics, Education and Religion impacted the four elements needed for a community to grow: center of commerce, creation of a community government, available places of worship and educational opportunities.
In 1838, Dr. and Mary Davis were baptized among the first members of the First Presbyterian Church of Saginaw, in which he served as an Elder. The same year, Dr. Davis served a two-year term as County Coroner. In 1845, Dr. Davis served as Saginaw Town Clerk and in 1848, he was a Saginaw County Supervisor.
A generation after his death in 1881, Dr. Davis was recognized as one of four men who were “conspicuous” in their contributions to the “early years” of Saginaw education.
The 18 year period of Dr. Davis’ time in Saginaw until his unexpected death in 1854 at 44 years old, clearly underscores the substantial contributions of Dr. Davis to the development of Saginaw, Michigan, during its formative, frontier years.
Inducted into the Saginaw Hall of Fame in 2017