Davis, Robert H. (Robert Hobart), 1869-1942

Robert Hobart Davis (1869-1942) was an American journalist, editor, dramatist, and photographer. He was editor of Munsey's Magazine from 1904 to 1925, columnist for the New York Sun from 1925 to 1942, and honorary president of the Stevenson Society of America.

From the guide to the Robert H. Davis papers, 1871-1946, 1908-1942, (The New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division.)

Robert H. Davis was an American novelist and poet, and he served as fiction editor of MUNSEY'S MAGAZINE (1903-1904).

From the description of Robert H. Davis collection, 1907-1929. (Princeton University Library). WorldCat record id: 377798411

Editor, author, and journalist, of New York, N.Y.; often known as Bob Davis.

From the description of Robert H. Davis papers, 1903-1935. (Nevada State Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 615581821

Madge Hutchinson Davis was the wife of Robert Davis.

From the description of Correspondence with Theodore Dreiser, 1921-1931. (University of Pennsylvania Library). WorldCat record id: 155898073

Robert (Bob) Hobart Davis (1869-1942) was an American editor and photographer. He was born in Brownsville, Nebraska on March 23, 1869 to Reverend George Ransome Davis and Silvia Nichols Davis. His parents had moved from New England to Nebraska to do missionary work with the American Indians of the region. As a result, Davis was exposed to American Indian culture early-on in his childhood and even could speak a few words of Comanche, Sioux, and Cheyenne by the age of six.

Davis began his career working for this brother, Sam, to publish the Carson City Daily Appeal . Although he started by delivering the newspaper to weekly subscribers, Davis was a proficient compositor by the age of nineteen. After Carson City, Davis moved to San Francisco before moving to New York to begin work at the New York Journal . During the Spanish American War, Davis wrote about the conditions of war, his most notable work being an exposé on the rotten meat served to soldiers. Davis's first editing job was at the New York Sunday News, where he served as managing editor in early 1900s. He would go on to become editor of Munsey's Magazine, owned by Frank Munsey. While in this position Davis was known for his willingness to help young writers break into the field of literary fiction.

In addition to his editorial career, Davis was an amateur photographer. During his lifetime he took more than 3,000 portraits of a variety of prominent individuals.

Bob Davis married Madge Lee Hutchinson of San Francisco in 1899. He died in Montreal, Canada in 1942 at the age of 73.

From the guide to the Robert H. Davis Papers, 1905-1935, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)