Davenport, William H., 1922-2004

William Hunt Davenport (1922-2004) was a lifelong seaman. Born on May 26, 1922 in Upland, California, USA, and raised in Cucamonga, Calif., Davenport stowed away on a boat bound for Singapore at the age of 14. He reportedly spent time in jail for this stunt, and graduated from Chaffey Union High School (Ontario, Calif.) in 1939. He then studied art and photography at the Art Center School (Los Angeles, Calif.) for one year before joining the military. Davenport served throughout the Pacific during World War II, as a Deck Officer and Master with the U.S. Army Transport Service (1941-46) and as an Ensign, Lt. in the U.S. Naval Reserve (1942-45).

Following his military service, Davenport ran a shipping company, a photography business and advised the Chinese merchant marines. He eventually returned to higher education, graduating with honors in 1952 from the University of Hawaii (Honolulu) with a degree in anthropology. He pursued interdisciplinary graduate studies in anthropology and behavioral sciences at Yale University, where he received his PhD in 1956 under the direction of Sidney Mintz. His dissertation focused on Jamaican fishing communities (1954-55).

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