Calvin O. Davis was born Feb. 5, 1871, at Macomb, Mich., a son of Calvin and Roselia Phillips Davis. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in 1895 and his master's degree in 1904. He received a Ph.D. degree from Harvard in 1910. While working on his advanced degrees, Davis also taught school in South Bend, Ind. He joined the faculty of the University in 1905 as an instructor in education and inspector of high schools. He was made a professor of education in 1915. When the School of Education was organized in 1921, Davis became its secretary, a position which he held until his 1941 retirement.
Davis was a member of the National Education Association, the National Society of Scientific Study of Education, the Society of College Teachers of Education and the Michigan State Teachers' Association. He also belonged to the Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Delta Kappa societies. He was the author of several books, including the "History of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools." He died June 22, 1954.
From the guide to the Calvin O. Davis papers, 1910-1941, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)