Arthur W. Davis Yachting Scrapbooks

“Jeff” Davis (1868-1954) was born Arthur W. Davis in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He lived in Chelsea, MA until he was 23 years old. Davis married May Russell of Chelsea, MA in May 1891 and they had two children. He worked at several Massachusetts newspapers before moving to Rhode Island where he’d secured a job at the Stillwater Mill in Harrisville. He started at the Providence Journal in 1921 and received his first yachting assignment from the newspaper. While at the Providence Journal, Davis also covered labor and agricultural news. He continually covered yachting until his retirement in 1948. He retired to Copake, NY and died in Hudson, NY.

In 1922, he helped organize the Narragansett Bay Racing Fleet and was elected secretary of the association. He held this position until his death. He also served as secretary of the Narragansett Bay Allowance Class Association and was a charter member of the North American Yacht Racing Union. Many yachting clubs gave him honorary memberships. He edited the International Star Class Yacht Racing Association’s official paper from 1927 to 1935. In 1938, the Biltmore ballroom played host to a dinner “in recognition and appreciation of the untiring service of Jeff Davis in the organization and improvement of yachting in Narragansett Bay.” Shortly after Davis retired, an annual Jeff Davis Trophy race between Brown University and University of Rhode Island was established. It was held for at least a decade.