Cane, Governor Jeff Davis

Object number1987.052.77

Date1899

MediumMetal, Wood

Dimensions35 1/4 × 2 1/8 × 1 1/2 in. (89.5 × 5.4 × 3.8 cm)

Credit LineOld State House Museum Collection

Terms

Cane

DescriptionA tapered wooden cane with dark stains, a metal tip, and has a round, golden handle with floral pattern and the inscription "Stand by Your Guns. Jeff Davis Attorney General by Members of General Assembly of Ark. 1899." The cane is noted in Raymond Arsenault's book "The Wild Ass of the Ozarks: Jeff Davis and the Social Bases of Southern Politics" (Temple University Press: Philadelphia, 1984, page 195.). At Bismarck, AR on August 25, "[Judge Carroll D.] Wood proceeded to take a wild swing at Governor [Davis'] jaw. Davis managed to dodge the blow, but fell off the speaker's platform in the process. What happened next is unclear. Some observers swore that the Governor got in a couple of licks with the famous gold-headed cane - the one inscribed "stand by your guns" which had been presented to him by the 1899 legislature."

Jefferson "Jeff" Davis was born in Rocky Comfort, Arkansas on May 6, 1862. Davis served as the twentieth Governor of Arkansas from 1901 to 1907. Although his administration was said to have "produced more politics than government," Davis succeeded in building a new state house and reforming the penal system. Davis passed away on January 3, 1913 in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Status

On view

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